Moderator gears up for Loch Leven challenge to aid refugees

A top churchman is gearing up for an unusual charity tandem ride to support thousands of refugees.

The Right Rev Dr Angus Morrison, the moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, will team up for the challenge with youth leader Hannah Mary Goodlad – nearly 40 years his junior.

They will be navigating the shores of Loch Leven, near Kinross, which was famously the location of Mary Queen of Scots’ island prison in 1567.

Dr Morrison, who is minister of Orwell and Portmoak Church in the Presbytery of Perth, said he was “very much looking forward” to the challenge on April 16.

The 13-mile cycle will boost a project supporting vulnerable men, women and children from the Middle East and Africa who have sought refuge in Egypt.

The St Andrews Refugee Service (StARS) is one of the first organisations in the country dedicated to improving the quality of life of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. It is estimated to help 11,500 people this year.

Built by the church more than 100 years ago, St Andrew’s occupies a tight compound in central Cairo which has become a haven for those fleeing oppression.

Miss Goodlad, moderator of the Kirk’s national youth assembly, said the project was “inspirational”.

Dr Morrison, 62, said: “I am very much looking forward to joining with others in this venture to raise awareness of and funding for the StARS project we visited in Cairo.”