Mark saddles up for school pedal

Adventurer to challenge headteacher...on a bike

The Community School of Auchterarder has drawn support for a fundraising challenge from cyclist Mark Beaumont.

The long- distance champ will challenge headteacher Stuart Clyde in the saddle during lunch break on Thursday as the school holds a fundraising event on static training bikes.

Pupils and staff will attempt to cycle the distance from Scotland to Malawi in one school day.

The idea is to find the cash to purchase bicycles for pupils at a school in Malawi.

They have already raised enough money for 10 bikes and a further 16 will be needed.

And Mark will be on hand to cheer on more than 50 pupils from P6 to S6 in their efforts to tot up the miles – and see if he can out- pedal their headmaster.

In June 2018 16 pupils from the Lang Toon school will be travelling to Malawi to help in Linthipe Secondary School.

While in Malawi they will commute to school on bikes, which afterwards will be left with local pupils and their families.

In Malawi many pupils stay in hostels near the school, which can be expensive, and this is one reason why many girls do not go to school.

Ownership of a bike means that pupils can travel to school from home each day.

Robyn Warburton os Sustran has provided the static trainers, Synergy Cycles is providing prizes and Highland Spring and the Co- op are providing water.