Clocking up miles to help raise cash
Grandad gets on his bike for good cause
A grandad has started an epic 450- mile cycle across four countries to raise money for his grandson’s school.
Sixty-year-old James Smith got on his bike for the nine-day cycle with friends Bob Clark, Frank Gillies, Alan Brady, James McLeod, Rab Strachan and Charlie Garvey, which begins in Frombork, Poland and goes through Kaliningrad in Russia, into Lithuania and finishing in Latvia.
He said: “We go away every year. Six of us are now over 60. Charlie is the youngster of the group and he’s just 50!
“In the last 10 years we have cycled in 13 different countries.
“In the past we have 75 to 80 miles a day but this year we will be averaging 50 miles per day.
“I don’t think there’s ever been a time in my life when I haven’t had a bike.
“I’ve never been a racer; I’m more a plodder but I really enjoy it.
“Of all the countries we’ve been to Romania really stands out because of the poverty people were living in.
“It was a real eye opener. This is a country that’s in the EU and when we were there we went three days without a hot meal.
“We didn’t see any cars for miles; it was just people on horse and cart and kids in bare feet trying to high-five you as cycled past.”
James is raising money for Orchard Primary Language and Communication Support Centre (LCSC) Support Group which nineyear- old grandson Kyle, who has autism, attends.
Approximately £ 8,000 has been raised so far, including a whopping £ 2300 from a fundraising event at Ernie’s Fish and Chicken Bar in Stane which James and his family run.
The money will be used to help provide the children with a suitable outdoor play area at the school. James, of Shotts, added: “I was going to do the cycle anyway when my daughter Andrea asked me to fundraise.
“I’ve had so much support from family, local businesses and customers in the chip shop.
“After the event in Ernie’s we are just about at £ 8,000 which is really superb.
“The school is a real lifeline for kids like Kyle but they need proper facilities in the playground for them so hopefully this will go a long way to helping them.”