The halfway Marc as charity total now £43k
Static cycle is latest effort for cash
Marc van Grieken, wife Kate and daughter Lottie at the Great Scottish Run, which Lottie and her friends ran as part of the team for Marc’s Parkinson’s research fundraising campaign Comrie’s Marc van Grieken has already passed half-way in his quest to raise £60,000 for Parkinson’s UK research.
And he was given a further boost last week after he took part in a sponsored static cycle at ScottishPower’s new Glasgow headquarters.
For one day, Scottish Power was “#parkinsonspowered”. Marc was joined by teams of ScottishPower staff who saw their total mileage from a 2 ½ hour power cycle relay matched by a donation from the company. The bikes also powered up a screen showing the milestones of Marc’s journey so far and the incredible challenges he’s undertaken to achieve his current total.
And this latest endeavour, along with fundraisers by the Comrie Crusaders added a further £6000 to the research fund.
Marc (60) lives with his family in the village. The landscape architect works with numerous energy and renewables companies, including ScottishPower, advising on onshore wind farms amongst other things.
Marc has lived with Parkinson’s for more than 10 years. To keep fit, he cycles and mono skis and doesn’t let anything stop him. His drive comes from his passion to improve life for people living with Parkinson’s and to fund research into the condition.
Marc is raising the funds with the support of his networks in the energy and renewables sector, friends, family and the wider community.
Marc’s fundraising will support a vital research project at University of Dundee which is due to start this year.
The fundraiser said: “I’m grateful for this opportunity from ScottishPower and I really appreciate their staff ’s enthusiasm in helping me towards my target. All the money raised is going to support a fantastic team of world-class researchers in Dundee. Already this year they’ve achieved groundbreaking results and I want to help them achieve even more.”
Marc has branded fellow family and friend fundraisers as the ‘Shaky Team from Shaky Toun’ and collectively they have now raised £43,228, more than 70% of the target of £60,000.