Pedalling power is cash generator Cyclist’s electricity booster
Some of the electricity used at a recent conference in Glasgow came from an unlikely source – the pedals of Perthshire man Marc van Grieken’s bicycle.
Marc, who has been living with Parkinson’s for 10 years, is campaigning to raise £60,000 for the charity Parkinson’s UK and has already raised £17,000 and counting.
The Comrie resident pedalled a static bike in the main exhibition space at the All Energy conference at Glasgow’s SEC on Wednesday last week.
His pedal power generated electricity to fire a monitor linked to his laptop, an activity carried out while hoping for donations from conference delegates.
Marc, originally from the Netherlands, has lived in southwest Perthshire for almost 20 years.
He hasn’t allowed his condition to slow him down and runs his own landscape design business.
The active mono-skier and keen cyclist has just celebrated his 60th birthday and is aiming to complete his sixth Etape Caledonia cycle race on Sunday.
With this in mind Marc – who also appeared at the conference as part of a panel discussing the onshore wind industry – is looking to celebrate the milestone by raising £60,000 for research into Parkinson’s.
He said: “I’ve had fantastic support from my local community, friends, clients and colleagues and I’m delighted that the All Energy organisers and the headline sponsors Shepherd and Wedderburn gave me this opportunity to showcase my campaign at the conference.
“Shepherd and Wedderburn is offering me ongoing fundraising help and I can’t thank them enough for their efforts.”
Six other cyclists have joined with Marc to form what is known as the ‘Shaky Team from Shaky Toun’, as Parkinson’s is most identified by its tremor symptoms.
Parkinson’s UK recently launched its first-ever public appeal – We Won’t Wait – and the funds raised by Marc will go towards crucial Parkinson’s research.
To donate, see www.justgiving. com/fundraising/Marc-vanGrieken1
Marc van Grieken on his bike, flanked by teammate Donald Coltart