A Dunblane dad is planning to cycle from Land’s End to John o’ Groats to raise cash for a community centre built in 2004 with money donated following the tragic shooting of children at the town’s primary school in 1996.
Howard Barr, who is married with two teenage daughters, will set off from the southernmost point in mainland Britain on September 1.
The 50-year-old, who only took up road biking in 2010, will pedal almost 1,000 miles in 10 days. He is hoping to raise more than £3,000 for the Dunblane Centre, which costs tens of thousands of pounds a year to run.
The financial adviser, who now does the books for the facility, said: “I agreed last year to take on the role of treasurer and trustee at the centre, and it seemed obvious to combine the need for fundraising with my personal challenge. I’m a relatively latecomer to road cycling, acquiring my first proper road bike in 2010 as a result of deciding to raise funds for the St James’s Place Foundation cycle from London to Paris a journey of around 230 miles over three days.
“This challenge has upped the ante a bit as I’ve selected a nine-day window where, along with up to 100 other participants raising funds for their own respective good causes, we’ll cycle an average of over 100 miles per day.”
Mr Barr hopes to arrive in John o’ Groats on Monday September 9 and he’s been training hard for his adventure.
“I’ve will have cycled around 2,500 miles since the start of May in preparation for the challenge, and in the process shed a couple of stones from a probably slightly overweight 14st 9lb,” he added.
“My target is to raise a minimum of £3,500.”
Dunblane Centre trustee Stewart Prodger described Mr Barr’s undertaking as “simply amazing” and urged people to donate.
He added: “Our aim at the centre has always been to be as self-financing as possible but, like most charities, we’re finding it extremely difficult to make ends meet.
“There’s increased costs, people are spending less, and more organisations are seeking grant funding from an ever-diminishing pot due to the current economic climate, so people using the centre’s classes and activities, and fundraising efforts like Howard’s end-to-end cycle challenge, are increasingly vital, not just for improving our community facility, but actually for our survival.”
To donate, visit www.dunblanecentre.co.uk for a link to Howard’s Just Giving page, or telephone 01786 824224.