CHARITY CHALLENGE
A councillors’ cycle challenge in aid of Poppy Scotland will have to move up a gear – after raising less than one per cent of its fundraising target.
South Lanarkshire councillors announced last month that they would be teaming up to cycle 1918 miles to earn £1918 in sponsorship money for the veterans’ charity.
The team even has its own section on the 1918 Poppy Pledge fundraising page at: bit. ly/poppypledge
However, the website shows that to date they have raised just £10 – 0.5 per cent of their target.
This came from a single donation one month ago, on August 27.
The fundraising drive was launched with considrable fanfare as a big group effort involving councillors from all parties, but so far only councillors Mark Horsham and Mark McGeever appear to have properly signed up for the challenge on the website.
With just 46 days to go until Armistice Day, councillors will have to get their fundraising feet moving.
The Reformer told earlier this month how councillors had accepted the special fundraising challenge to mark the 100th anniversary of the ending of the First World War.
In a cross party act of remembrance, they put their political differences aside and signed up as a group to take part in the Poppy Scotland 1918 Poppy Pledge.
Councillor Mark Horsham, the council’s veterans spokesperson and team captain for the challenge, said on the council website: “I am delighted that the councillors have come together and there is enthusiastic cross party support for this challenge which aims to raise £1918 for Poppy Scotland.”
It appears that some councillors are less enthusiastic than others.
We tried to contact Councillor Horsham