A Broughty Ferry man will take to the water today as he and his brother embark on an epic charity trip to honour the memory of their father.
Andy Cumming (43) and twin brother Derek will leave Killin this afternoon on the first leg of a three-day kayak journey along the Tay to Broughty Ferry in an effort to raise funds for Cancer Research UK.
Both keen kayakers, they decided to undertake the challenge in memory of their father, also Derek, who died of prostate cancer in March after battling the disease for almost two years.
Although his father was not particularly involved with kayaking, Andy believes the trip will be a fitting way of honouring his father and benefiting charity.
He said, “He was only 65 when he died and never complained through it all. He had a lot of interests like snooker, football and the horses but he was not a typical person when he retired, he had so much energy.
“It was a huge loss to us when he died and we wanted to do something for charity to help raise funds for people who have prostate cancer.”
Andy and Derek intend to camp by the river and aim reach their hometown on Sunday evening.
Though honest enough to admit that neither he or his brother have completed such a mammoth journey on water before, Andy is still determined to go the distance and reach his £1000 target.
“The fund-raising is going well and we’re near our target,” he added. We’re going to have to do around 30 miles a day as it’s approximately 100 miles in total so we have to be aiming for at least that on a daily basis.
“I’ve never done anything like this distance before but the two of us have been training on the Tay for a few months now.
“We’ve been doing around seven to 10 miles at a time there so this is going to be a huge effort for us.”
Although she won’t be there to wave her husband off, Andy’s wife Moira is full of pride for what he and Derek are undertaking.
Just two months on from their father’s death, she hopes the fund-raiser can allow the twins to reflect on the life of their father.
“I think it’s great that they’re doing this,” she said. “I think it will be a good thing for both of them and they will feel like they are doing something beneficial.
“I won’t be seeing them off but I think a lot of people will be there when they get back,” she said.
“I’m really proud of both of them. It’s a great thing that they’re doing and it’s nice that they’ll have time together to think about their dad.”Anybody who wants to make a donation can do so here.