A youth football team raising money for charity have already smashed their £1,000 target in under a week.
The Broughty United 2006 Pumas have been challenged by their coaches to run the equivalent of the long way from Lands End to John O Groats, which works out at 1,083 miles.
The boys are raising money for Andy’s Man Club and a gofundme page set up last week has already raised £1,110.
Paul Burns, a coach with the team said: “It’s brilliant. It’s been a bit overwhelming.
“I think we have done about 250 miles this week which is not bad considering the weather.
“We are on target.”
Getting the players outside
The idea for the challenge came from Paul and team manager, Jimmy Anderson.
Paul said: “Jimmy and I got to talking about how much they are missing out on because obviously they are not doing PE at school really, they are doing bits and pieces.”
Throughout lockdowns over the past year Jimmy has been keeping the players busy with exercise sessions over Zoom, however, the duo were keen to get the players exercising outside.
“We usually train three times a week so that’s like four hours, plus a match on Sunday, that’s another hour and a half, so although they are doing great, they are not out running, they are not getting out, they are all stuck on their Xboxes, they are schooling from home, so we thought how can we get them out and about?” Paul said.
Each boy will take on 60miles over the course of four weeks and 70% of the challenge will be completed by running, with the rest made up from cycling and walking.
The aim is for each youngster to run roughly ten and a half miles each week and cycle or walk for a further five.
Charities missing out on funding due to lockdown
Speaking about why they chose Andy’s Man Club, Paul said: “We’ve had friends that have committed suicide sadly. We just thought it was a good charity.
“Even before lockdown mental health has been an issue. I’ve noticed it with having two teenage boys and speaking to friends, some of my friends live on their own, I’m lucky I’ve got a wife and two kids, I’ve got company.
“People are struggling, you just keep seeing the figures of suicide, people struggling with mental health, it’s quite scary sometimes. We just thought it was a good cause, especially during lockdown, these charities are missing out on probably a lot of the fundraisers they normally do.”
Paul added, that he, Jimmy, and fellow coaches Dougie Berrie and Gary Potter, are all proud of the boys who seem to have taken to the challenge.
He said: “We are really proud of them. Since the original lockdown there’s not one of them shirked the Zoom sessions, anything we’ve asked them to do they have risen to the challenge.
“They’ve done us and the club proud. They are a good bunch of boys.
“A massive thank you to everybody that’s supported us and continues to support us.”
To donate to the fundraiser, click here.
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