We'll leg it for Maggie's!
A GROUP of Donside friends and workmates - calling themselves Legs United - are to doing a 73 mile charity cycle/walk from Fort William to Inverness.
The team consists of Annette Orme, Chrissie Anderson and Sophie Painter from the Alford area, together with Ruth Nellies who lives in the Danestone area of Bridge of Don.
The challenge is known as the Monster Bike and Hike in support of Maggie's Centres, and takes place on Saturday, May 1.
Maggie's Monster Bike and Hike 2010 sees teams bike 30 miles from Fort William to Fort Augustus. They can then choose to hike eight miles to the bronze finish at Invermoriston, 22 miles to the silver finish at Drumnadrochit, or go the whole way and walk 43 miles to the gold finish in Inverness.
Annette decided to take part, having supported her son in two previous events.
She said: "I was so impressed by the enthusiasm and organisation of the event and I found it a very heart-warming and emotional thing to watch. It doesn't matter if athletes finish at gold or bronze points, it is truly the taking part that counts. I was amazed at how many friends I made and I was only the support team. So with little persuasion needed, Ruth and I entered with friends Chrissie and Sophie, who are up for any challenge presented to them."
The event is organised by Maggie's Cancer Care Centres and 3.2m has so far been raised from the Monster Bike and Hike events. Athletes are well fed and watered along the way and massages are available at the four main rest points. The Red Cross and Scottish Ambulance Service are also on hand.
She said: "When my son did the challenge two years ago we did not know very much about the cause but thought more about the challenge. Since then, Maggie's is spoken about every day. We have all been touched with cancer whether by a relative having been diagnosed with the disease, or a friend.
"Maggie's provides support to anyone affected by any type of cancer, be they a patient, family member or friend. They provide a free programme of information, psychological support and anxiety reduction to compliment medical treatment received at adjacent NHS hospitals. Every penny raised goes straight towards supporting those families, friends and carers who have been touched by cancer in the community."
Maggie's currently has six centres in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Highlands, Fife and London, with two more due to open this year.
Meanwhile, Legs United have several fundraising events planned including a baking stall and a pub crawl collection, as well as a bag-pack at Alford Co-op on April 24.
If anyone would like to help their cause, they can donate online to http://www.justgiving.com/legs-united.
Annette said: "We would be grateful for any small amount received from your readers to help us continue making these centres a reality."
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Weather for Banchory
Monday 21 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 3 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 7 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
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