An Aberdeen man has got in gear to go the extra mile for a charity cause close to his heart.
Fundraisers from World Duty Free stores in Scotland used pedal power to raise £2,500 for pioneering dementia research to mark World Alzheimer’s Day.
David Robertson, manager of the company’s Aberdeen shop, was joined by Johnny Yule and Michael Gaffney from the Glasgow shop, for a 65-mile cross-country challenge on September 21 that took them from Glasgow to Edinburgh in aid of Alzheimer’s Research UK.
The intrepid trio took on the gruelling ride across Scotland in just over five hours.
Meanwhile staff at Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh airports took it in turns to cycle on static bikes for an eight-hour challenge, clocking up the equivalent of 550 miles between them and raising extra donations from customers on the day.
The Aberdeen store also offered a gift-wrapping service for customers in exchange for donations for dementia research.
Mr Robertson said he had been inspired to get on his bike after the tragic loss of his uncle to dementia.
He said: “I started cycling this year when I turned 50 as a way to get fit, and I ride 22 miles every day for my commute to work, but this was the longest distance I’d ever tackled.
“Michael had done this once before which gave me the idea, and of course it was a great opportunity to support Alzheimer’s Research UK.
“My uncle died with dementia two years ago, so I’ve seen the impact the condition can have. He was always a very active and social person but his whole personality changed, and I saw how much that affected the rest of the family too.
“On the day of the challenge we couldn’t have asked for better weather, not too hot but really sunny, and the ride turned out to be really enjoyable.
“I’m already looking at 100-mile cycle routes for our next challenge.
“Most people have been touched by dementia at some point, so lots of people have got behind us and it’s been great to see how generous people have been with their donations.
“The World Duty Free staff have really pulled together behind this cause. We’re quite competitive, so staff in the stores were doing their best to outpace each other on the static bikes.”
Vicky Naylor, corporate partnerships officer at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “This is an impressive effort and we couldn’t be more grateful to World Duty Free staff for taking on this exhausting challenge.
“The money raised will help provide vital support to our Dementia Research Infoline, offering essential information to people affected by dementia and boosting the number of people taking part in research.
“Currently 850,000 people in the UK are living with dementia, including nearly 67,000 people across Scotland, and we urgently need better ways to fight the condition.
“We rely on public donations to be able to carry out our mission, and it’s thanks to our amazing supporters and companies like World Duty Free that we’re able to continue our work.”
