ENDURANCE cyclist Mark Beaumont supported a group of fundraisers taking part in a charity coast-to-coast challenge by joining them as they cycled into Edinburgh at the weekend.
Mark holds the record for cycling around the world, completing an 18,000-mile route in less than 79 days in 2017, and drew on this experience to give a motivational speech before they enjoyed a well-earned dinner.
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Alongside his own cycling and work as a broadcaster and author, Mark is a patron of The Archie Foundation, which supports babies, children and families at the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital.
He joined cyclists raising money for The Archie Foundation on the first day of the bp Coast 2 Coast challenge, which saw the group leaving Dumfries on Friday (May 31) and arriving in Aberdeen on Sunday.
The money raised by the 15 cyclists riding for The Archie Foundation will help fund a bereavement support worker for a year.
Mark said: “As a patron of The Archie Foundation and a dad myself, I know what a vital role the charity plays in supporting families of babies and children both financially and emotionally while they are in hospital, as well as trying to make life a little more comfortable for the youngsters themselves.
“It was great to meet the cyclists and join them for part of the route on Friday night as they arrived in Edinburgh. I was able to offer some encouragement as they took part in this amazing challenge to raise money for charity.”
The 15th bp Coast 2 Coast cycle covered 225 miles between Dumfries and Aberdeen, raising money for Stella’s Voice, Independence from Drugs and Alcohol Scotland at River Garden and Myeloma UK as well as The Archie Foundation.
Paula Cormack, CEO of The Archie Foundation, who also took part in the fundraising cycle for the second year in a row, said: “We are so grateful to Mark for joining us and having his encouragement to push through the burn and finish the last 40 miles into Edinburgh!
“We are very grateful to Mark and all the cyclists who joined us on the bp Coast 2 Coast Challenge and chose to raise money for The Archie Foundation.
Included in The Archie Foundation contingent were paediatric orthopaedic surgeon and trustee Mike Reidy, paediatric general surgeon and retired-Archie trustee Chris Driver, and Graham Wilson, a retired paediatric anaesthetist.
“It’s very encouraging and uplifting that so many people signed up to take part in the challenge to raise funds for The Archie Foundation this year,” said Paula. “As well as trustees and our valued partners in the NHS, they include families who have benefited from the services we provide and fund while youngsters are in hospital or are receiving other treatment, including bereavement support from Archie’s very own Child Bereavement Service.
“The money they are raising will fund one of our three-strong team of Bereavement Support Workers in Grampian for a full year, ensuring that bereaved children in our region receive the support they need to help them process and manage the grief of losing a loved one, so they can go on to achieve their full potential in life.”
The bp Coast 2 Coast event started in 2008 and since then cyclists have raised more than £2million for local charities. The challenge is open to cyclists of all abilities and individuals fund their own accommodation and food costs.
Each cyclist has a fundraising target of £1,000, with participants able to nominate a charity to benefit from the amount raised.
The four charities being supported by the bp Coast 2 Coast challenge also have their own JustGiving fundraising pages for donations:
Independence from Drugs and Alcohol Scotland at River Garden
Visit www.archie.org/getsupport/ for more information about the practical, financial, and emotional support available from The Archie Foundation.
