Pals make a splash with charity paddle effort

East Loch Lomond intrepid paddlers Fiona Flanagan and Dave Arcari are on target to bust their £1000 fundraising target for Scottish Mountain Rescue.

Checking in midway through the organisation’s Miles for SMR ‘22 challenge the pair are just over halfway through their pledge to paddle 56-miles each through May.

“The May weather – so far, anyway – is the worst I can remember,”said Dave. “Constant wind and gusty conditions have made it tough trying to stay on target with our miles. Hopefully the remainder of the month will be a little better weather-wise.”

But both Dave and Fiona are seeing a benefit from the challenging conditions.

Dave added:“as a relative newcomer to the sport, my paddling technique and confidence has improved greatly.’

‘The commitment and motivation has made us constantly push our limits.

“In saying that, we are very aware that safety comes first - even more considering the cause we’re supporting.”

Both Fiona and Dave are self-employed – Fiona runs a B&B in Balmaha and Dave is a songwriter and touring musician – and part of the challenge is freeing up time to coincide with safe paddling conditions.

However, they are confident they will successfully meet their target of 56-miles each and expect to attract more donations between now and the end of May.

To follow Fiona and Dave’s fundraising blogs and support Scottish Mountain Rescue, visit https://virtualevent. scottishmountainrescue.org/t/ fionadavespaddle