Andrew’s cycling success!
Green Light Trust’s, Andrew completes the North Coast 500, cycling 500 miles around Scotland for 7 days.
Operations Manager Andrew has worked at Green Light Trust for 12 years – and decided to set himself the tough challenge of cycling over 500 miles across Scotland to raise funds for the charity. He completed the North Coast 500, cycling around the Northern Coast of Scotland in just 7 days!
He raised an incredible total of £3,151.43 for GLT, helping to fund our vital services supporting children, young people and adults through the power of nature. We are so proud of his achievement and thankful to him for his outstanding support. We caught up with him after the challenge to find out more about his experience.
What inspired you to take on a fundraising challenge for GLT?
I have a long-standing relationship with GLT, and I wanted to do something to raise money for the charity. I felt that if I was to do something that would inspire people to donate, it would have to be a difficult challenge, one that most people would not think of doing.
I have a list of things I would like to challenge myself with and the NC500 was on the list. Personally, I felt like I wanted a reason to keep at/reach a certain level of fitness. I find the accountability of something like this super motivating.
I feel like the challenge itself had some links to what we do, or at least I created them. It is about immersing oneself in nature, experiencing the awe that the natural environment can provide (awe being an important part in mental good health).
Riding my bike is an important part of my recovery from a state of poor mental health after losing my mother, and it led me to a supportive community of people, GLT is like that for a number of our participants.
“Taking on a fundraising challenge involves building resilience needed to face the tougher moments, and in a different way, that’s one aspect of how GLT helps individuals.”
And finally, I wanted to inspire people to go and experience something, to go on a journey of seeking wellness, to grab hold of life and create an experience for themselves. To know that the steps of a process involve, set a goal, work for a goal, and hopefully achieve a goal – but the most important part is the bit in the middle, all the growth happens in the middle.
What inspired you to take on a fundraising challenge for GLT?
My favourite memory is when I stopped and had lunch with two other bike packers, we shared stories of our trips and laughed a lot over food and drink. At the end of the meal, they insisted on paying for my meal because I was taking part in this ride to raise money for a charity.
What was the most challenging moment?
The most challenging moment was the second day when it was cold, under 10 centigrade, the wind was blowing, and it was raining quite heavily. I was soaked everywhere, and I still had 50 miles to cover that day. I really needed the accountability of the money raised to keep me focused on what I was doing, because it was a moment where I wanted to give in. My training really paid off – all the rides that I had done to prepare in the rain helped me hold on to positivity.
How did you feel when you first set off on Day 1?
When I set off on day 1, I was excited. It was a culmination of months of preparation and the day had finally come. I was filled with self-doubt, but 15 miles in I had forgotten about it all and I was just doing what I had been practicing and was really engulfed in the present moment.
How did you feel at the end?
Oh the end is hard to describe, obviously relief that I had finished, I was tired. I was proud of what I had done. I was really grateful that I was able to do it, that I had such great weather and that I got to see such amazing sights. I was super happy with the way the fundraising had gone, that felt better than expected. I also felt a big loss, a hole. I think that will be there for a little while. Preparing for an event like this becomes quite all-consuming and then it is not there anymore, but it is part of the process.
Why should people get involved and fundraise for GLT?
It is one of the pillars of contentment, being part of something bigger than yourself. I think that along the way you get back more from the experience than you put in, I certainly did. It is about the people you meet along the way, the interactions that you have and the gratitude that you feel. I think we all enjoy feeling like we have made a difference, and you can do that through a bake sale, a coffee morning, or walking a marathon, the end result is the same.
Our thanks again go to Andrew for his brilliant efforts, as well as to everyone who supported his campaign. It is thanks to your collective support that we were able to help Andrew reach his goal and raise vital funds, transforming lives through the power of nature.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO FUNDRAISE FOR US?
Find out how you could take on a challenge for us or talk to our fundraising team directly fundraising@greenlighttrust.org
