A group of East Neuk residents are gearing up to take part in the Maggie’s Monster Bike and Hike.
Veteran fund-raiser Ian Gillon (61), from Anstruther, will be joined in the 73-mile adventure by son Raymond and golfing friends George Glen and Steven Webster.
The bike and hike is a 24-hour team challenge, established to raise cash for Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres. This year’s event, on April 30 and May 1, takes in a route from Fort William to Inverness, along the Great Glen Way.
Participants bike 30 miles and can then choose to hike eight miles for a bronze finish, 22 miles for silver or 43 for gold.
Ian has already raised thousands of pounds for Maggie’s, a charity close to his heart. He was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus two years ago, something which changed his life forever.
“No one can prepare you for actually living with something like that,” he said. “Physically, I fought the cancer well because I was fit but, on the mental side, it was horrendous.
“The Monster Bike and Hike gives me, along with my family and friends, an opportunity to give something back to the Maggie’s Centre.
“The past two years have been very difficult at times but the Maggie’s Centre in Dundee has been a great help and support before, after and during my diagnosis.
“It is a truly worthy cause.”
Ian said he hoped other people would be able to benefit from the kind of care he has received.
“Going to Maggie’s has given me great satisfaction,” he added. “It has provided me with an awful lot of support and friendship ever since my major surgery.
“It means a great deal to me.”
Anyone keen to sponsor Ian and his team can do so by visiting www.justgiving.com/zooniesandloonies.
Last year’s Monster event saw a record number of participants take to the route, with almost 1000 people biking and hiking to raise £600,000.
Find out more at www.maggiescentres.org