The proceeds of a marathon bike ride on the other side of the world have been gratefully received by the MS Therapy Centre in Dundee.
Joy Spence of Menmuir, near Brechin, rode 330 miles of the West Australian Great Bike Ride with three of her relatives in March.
Originally from Victoria, Mrs Spence has lived in Scotland for 30 years but decided to take on the supreme challenge during a holiday in her native country as a personal achievement target on reaching the age of 60.
She succeeded in the eight-day challenge on the route of the Margaret River, which she tackled with her cyclist brother Rod McDonald, son Ian and niece Dianna Pell.
“I really enjoyed it but it was hard work,” she said. “I did a lot of training for it cycling around the Menmuir and Brechin areas.
“My brother is a keen cyclist and I’m not but I wanted to do this to mark my birthday.
“A lot of people do this bike ride for MS Australia and I have quite a few friends who use the MS Centre in Dundee so I thought it would be a good cause to raise money for.
“I was supported by a lot of relatives and friends in the area and was overwhelmed by their generosity by raising £1325.”Chicago marathonMrs Spence, whose husband Sandy farms at Menmuir, was not the only person to hand over a cheque to the multiple sclerosis therapy centre.
George Ferguson of Dundee presented the sum of £881.50 he raised by running in the Chicago Marathon.
Carole Morrison, administrator at the centre, said, “We are extremely grateful for all the donations we receive and those today were most welcome.
“It costs £100,000 a year to run the centre, so today’s money is equivalent to what we need for one week.
“We receive no statutory funding and entirely depend on the money that people like Mrs Spence and Mr Ferguson give us, so we thank them very much.”
The therapies available at the centre in Peddie Street include physiotherapy, hyperbaric oxygen, reflexology, aromatherapy, acupuncture, and counselling, and advice is available on nutrition welfare and other aspects of MS.