A Livingston man is set to embark on a 200-mile carbon free charity challenge to help charities that have lost out during the pandemic.
Peter West aims to run and cycle across Scotland from Ardnamurchan Lighthouse to Scurdie Ness Lighthouse near Montrose.
His support vehicle will be an electric Skoda Enyaq, meaning the challenge, which he’s called ‘Light to Light - Carbon Free across Scotland’ will be entirely emissions free.
Peter, who is the business manager for the band Skerryvore as well as a season ticket holder for Livingston FC, is raising funds for the Margaret Lee Oncology Fund at Edinburgh’s Western General Hospital and the Breast Cancer fund at St John’s Hospital in Livingston.
Speaking to the Courier, he said: “Our family have organised a charity event in Falkirk for many years called ‘Mags Fish Supper Ceilidh’ that has raised over £185,000 but due to lockdown we haven’t been able to host one.
“I thought about other ways to raise funds and had always had this idea of a run and cylce across Scotland so really just told myself to get on with it and do it.
“We set about planning in more detail and figured it was something that we could manage.
“The carbon free aspect wasn’t something I’d considered until we got an electric car recently but it’s another aspect of the challenge that is important.
“We’ll need to plan the logistics of making sure the vehicle can be charged in some of the more remote areas.”
The challenge will start at Ardnamurchan Lighthouse on September 7, with a run to Kilchoan, before a cycle towards Corran.
Other stages include a run from Glencoe to Rannoch Station, cycling through Perthshire and onwards to Forfar.
He is due to run the final few miles to Scurdie Ness on September 11 with Peter’s wife Marion driving the support car.
He added: “Margaret was my sister-in-law and she organised the first ‘Mags Fish Supper Ceilidh’ which featured Skerryvore and they have been their ‘preferred charity’ for many years.
“Margaret wanted to recognise the work being done at the hospital where she was being treated for breast cancer. She sadly passed away in 2008 but we’ve kept the event going.
“I don’t have a set target in mind but any amount going to these great causes is wonderful.”
Donations can be made online at: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lighttolight.
You can follow Peter’s build-up to and progress at www.facebook.com/l2lruncycleand or on Instagram @l2lruncycle.
For further information contact Peter West on 07823337710 or email info@skerryvore.com.
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