A fundraising family have made their way through the region as they cross the country for charity.
The Coffeys from Crieff are undertaking a 450-mile relay across Scotland in which they will hike, run, swim and cycle their way from Gretna Green to John o’ Groats.
The event will raise funds for a Scottish charity that helps vulnerable premature babies and their families.
Three members of the family, Jamie, Andrew and Emily, plus Emily’s boyfriend Kenny Cliffe, kicked off day one of the challenge at Gretna Green last week taking on the 102km cycle to Lesmahagow.
The team members were waved off at the start line by two very special guests who made it down from Edinburgh for the occasion; Hamish and Campbell Coffey, twins who were born prematurely to Jamie and his wife Emma last year at 27 weeks and weighing just 2lbs each.
To say thank you for all the support the boys and their parents have received over the past year, the rest of the Coffey clan decided to create the Stride For Simpsons challenge to help raise funds for Simpsons Special Care Babies (SSCB) – a charity that helps the unit and the families of the babies they look after.
Hamish and Campbell’s dad, Jamie, explained why the SSCB charity means so much to the family.
He said: “When the babies were born, I couldn’t even get to see them due to Covid restrictions at the time. The worst part was not knowing if I’d see them at all, as they were so unwell. But the Simpsons baby charity helped me stay in contact throughout it all. They even fund a video and photo platform which meant I could see them every day online.
To help visit www.strideforsimpsons.com.
