Holly gets on her bike to tackle food poverty

A DUNDEE youngster is aiming to cycle more than 60 miles in one week to raise money for a charity tackling food poverty in the city.

Craigiebarns Primary pupil Holly McIntosh has set herself the target of cycling eight miles every day for eight days to raise funds for Dundee Bairns.

The eight-year-old, who lives in Craigie, got the idea for the fundraising effort after deciding to put the time off school during the lockdown to good use.

Holly’s mum Jane said: “Holly wanted to do something for a local charity and we saw the Dundee Bairns and thought that would be good to support.

“She uses her bike a lot so we thought, because she is eight years old, she could cycle eight miles every day for eight days, and the fundraising target was £80.”

Since starting the challenge earlier this week, Holly has already smashed the initial target by hundreds of pounds.

Jane said: “Her total is £379 now

– she has smashed her original total.

“For a little girl, it’s quite a mean feat. We do a bit of cycling but not every day so that’ll be the biggest challenge. She is ready to take the bull by the horns.”

Jane is hopeful the money raised will make a difference to other children and families who may be experiencing hardship during the Covid-19 lockdown and is keen to raise as much as possible.

“Holly is always checking the total and thinking about how many people that will help, so that’s been lovely to see,” she said.

“We’ve been out and about seeing different things and it’s good to do it for a good cause as well.

“We are doing it until next Monday but knowing Holly, she might just keep going.”

Holly’s efforts have caught the eye of the charity, which has shown its support for the fundraiser on Facebook, stating: “It’s absolutely amazing. Thank you all so much.”

To find out more about Holly’s efforts and for details on how to make a donation, visit the Facebook page “Holly’s fundraiser for Dundee Bairns”.

Holly is cycling to raise money for Dundee Bairns.