A north man has raised more than £20,000 in his bid to complete an end-to-end charity cycle in memory of his wife.
David Hay’s wife Janie lost her battle with ovarian cancer in November 2013, just days after her 39th birthday.
The difficult timing of his wife’s death is reflected in the 38-year-old’s decision to set off from Land’s End on Christmas day and finish the epic 870-mile journey within seven days.
Battling the elements at this time of year symbolises how difficult it can be for families to lose loved ones to the illness at what should be one of the happiest times of year.
All donations from Mr Hay’s challenge will be split between five cancer charities which include Macmillan, Maggie’s, Marie Curie Cancer Care, Cancer Research UK and Beatson Cancer Charity.
Last night Mr Hay, who is from Conon Bridge, arrived in Pitlochry and is expected to finish before New Year’s day. He is aiming to be in Golspie by the end of today.
Yesterday his father, Ian Hay, who has been following his son up from Gretna, said: “He is doing incredibly well and has already raised over £20,000 for cancer.
“The idea is to make it a really challenging Christmas and just highlight what it’s like for people with cancer and what it’s like for carers as well.
“I absolutely admire what he is doing and have huge pride in him, and the response from everyone who has donated has been staggering.
“He is doing about 150-160 miles a day on average and it looks like he is going to finish earlier than planned.”
Mr Hay met his wife Janie at Glasgow University in 1999 and they married in Plockton, where he has family connections, in 2006. They were married for three years before she was diagnosed with cancer.
Mr Hay left Land’s End at 6am on Christmas day with the aim of cycling to John O’Groats in just seven days.
Mr Hay, who now lives in Glasgow, will cover nearly 900 miles in limited daylight and will climb more than 33,000ft in the challenge.
Last night the total amount of money raised through the challenge stood at £20,268.80.
Anyone who wished to donate shoud visit
https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/davesbigicicleride