A Galloway man is set to launch a fundraising drive to help boost a new emergency support charity.
Robert McCutcheon is preparing for a week long challenge which will see him scale the highest peaks and negotiate the longest waterways in each of the UK’s home nations.
The 36-year-old will undertake the arduous activity as soon as coronavirus restrictions allow, to help fund new charitable agency the Joint Civil Aid Corps.
It comes after the worldwide Covid pandemic highlighted the role volunteer agencies play in supporting both communities and official agencies in times of strife.
The Castle Douglas man is commander of the organisation’s Scotland wing and also aims to raise awareness of the need for such a service.
Robert told the News: “Over the last year there were a lot of pop-up groups coming on and helping out but the Civil Aid Corps looks to make that a national network that can come on stream and help out.
“Basically where there are incidents and anything like flooding, snowfall, loss of power, anything like that. The emergency services attend but what happens when they leave?
"There are separate agencies like Mountain Rescue, Coastguard and charitable organisations like the Red Cross but the Joint Civil Aid Corps is designed to be a single network that can step in and help support the emergency services and communities, with things like sandbagging, logistics, whatever is needed.”
Robert, who has a background in first aid training and health and safety, added: “We knew there was a need for this before the pandemic and the Joint Civil Aid Corps has been running for a few years but this has just highlighted the benefits of having something like this available. It basically follows on from the type of civil defence available during the war.”
But the Milton Keynes-headquartered organisation is a charitable body and receives no government funding, hence Robert’s bid to raise funds by undertaking the gruelling feat.
He adds: “I hope to undertake the challenge as soon as the coronavirus restrictions allow, probably around August or September.
“The idea of the agency is that it can be called upon UK-wide, so I had the idea of climbing the highest peak and negotiating the longest waterway in each of the four nations, within a week.”
Robert will scale Ben Nevis before returning by kayak down Loch Awe to set off the charity mission, before heading to Scafell Pike and Lake Windermere in England; Mount Snowdon and Llyn Tegid in Wales and, finally, Slieve Donard and Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland.
