On Saturday 9th April, Craig McDonald (our Chairman), wife Gillian, and twin sons Stuart and Matthew embarked on a fitness challenge, in partnership with their local fitness club.
The Forever Fit Club in Peebles, Scotland, parked eight spin bikes outside the Tontine Hotel, with staff, friends, family, and other members of the Peebles community aiming to cycle the famous Land’s End to John O’Groats track in virtual miles.
The 'Spin-a-Thon' challenge ran from 10am to 4pm, with the time split in to half hour slots for each of the participants. Stuart and Matthew, who live with FXS, got the spin underway and were joined by eager participants and supporters throughout the day.
The team were thrilled when they beat their target of 873 miles – the distance between the two points – with an overall distance of 1071.9 miles covered!
The donations poured in from their online JustGiving page, a street collection, as well as from the Tontine staff’s own tip jar – after they generously donated their lunchtime tips from that day.
The McDonald’s said: “It was a really fun day – thank you to everyone who took part and who donated money! We are so pleased to have had the opportunity to raise awareness about Fragile X Syndrome in our local community”.
Extra special thanks goes to Fiona Blair for organising the event, George Blair who ferried the bikes to and from the hotel, Emma Musgrave for obtaining matched funding through her employer, and Kate and Gorden Innes who permitted the event to be held at the front of the hotel.
Last, but by no means least, a huge thank you goes to Jo Sutherland and Dave Kilgour who run the Forever Fit Club, “for doing what they do best – motivating people to work hard and enjoy keeping fit”, says Gillian.
The Fragile X Society staff would also like to thank everyone involved for organising such a fantastic event. The total amount raised was £2,560 – an absolutely incredible sum, that is vital to our ability to continue providing information and support to individuals and families impacted by fragile X.