Regulars at a Perth gym went the extra mile in their latest charity drive, cramming a van full of donations for local families and pets.
The Zenith Fitness Training van pull has become a regular event, and this year’s was the most successful yet.
Staff and gym-goers take it in turns to tow the business’s Peugeot Expert van around the block for an entire day.
But there’s a catch.
Throughout the day, supporters arrive at Zenith Fitness Training’s premises on the PH2 business park with donations for the Perth and Kinross Foodbank.
And with every fresh delivery added to the back of the van, the task of towing it gets a little tougher.
By the end of this year’s event, the squad were pulling the weight of the van – and another 669kg in supplies for the foodbank.
And the Perth and Kinross Foodbank isn’t the only cause to benefit from this year’s effort.
The Zenith team also collected two mini-mountains of toys for Cash for Kids Tayside and Fife and goodies for Perthshire Abandoned Dogs Society (Pads).
Every donation counts
Zenith co-owner Lisa Mullholland said she and the team were grateful to everyone who donated goods
“This is the third year we’ve done it and the response was unbelievable,” she said.
“We were overwhelmed by the amount of donations we received.”
Lisa’s husband Gary came up with the challenge in 2021.
The couple wanted to find a way to combine fitness with support for causes dear to the Zenith team’s hearts.
“The first year we did it we collected 490kg for the foodbank,” said Lisa.
“The second year it was 634kg. This year I don’t think we could have got another thing in the van.”
She added: “It was hard going to pull it by the end. But it helps when you know every donation is really going to make a difference to local people’s lives.”
Community at heart of Zenith Fitness Training
The van pull is not the only fundraising activity the team at Zenith Fitness Training have thrown themselves into recently.
Regulars have also posed for a nude calendar, which is raising funds for the Neuk mental health crisis centre in St Paul’s Square, Perth.
Lisa says the gym prides itself on focusing as much on mental wellbeing as physical fitness.
It runs sessions for men’s mental health and the menopause, among others.
Conversation