Team Gael Force set their sights on raising funds in Skye
A team of four hardy colleagues from Gael Force Group are aiming to raise funds for a local Highlands and Islands charity by taking on the mighty Skye Half Marathon in 3 weeks’ time.
The team of runners – made up of Craig Graham, Helen MacLeod, Marc Wilson and Rhiann Swanson – will be aiming to raise funds for the Community Food Bank in Skye & Lochalsh.
The volunteer charity raises funds to support the community food bank in their local area, providing families and individuals with much-needed food. The charity works at a grassroots level, relying on the generosity of their community and others.
The infamously hilly half marathon starts and finishes in Portree, taking in a scenic closed road route on Saturday 11th September. The team have been attempting to stick religiously to their training plans and have been ramping up their efforts as race day creeps ever closer.
Director Craig Graham came up with the idea of taking on the challenge. He commented: “Many families and individuals across Skye and Lochalsh benefit from the services of the Community Food Bank and the generosity of locals’ donations."
"However, many more families are facing uncertainty due to the pandemic, and as a proud Highlander myself and as someone representing a Highlands and Islands business, I am keen to help raise awareness and funds to support a rural community that we have been working in for many years.”
He continued, “Personally, it’s going to be a momentous challenge for me having just started running this year. My training schedule has been brutal at times, but I am determined to complete my first Half Marathon and do something worthwhile in support of the local community. I can think of no better place to complete this challenge than Skye!”
Group Financial Controller, Helen MacLeod, is a Skye native and has the inside line on the Half Marathon route: “I’ve run the course a few times and it can be pretty unforgiving. I have been sharing some tips with the rest of the team so that they can be as well prepared as possible."
"Taking part is going to be exciting and crossing the finish line will be even sweeter, but hopefully the real result for our team will be to successfully raise much-needed funds for the Skye and Lochalsh Food Bank.”
The team have encouraged local businesses, suppliers and individuals to sponsor them via Just Giving ahead of race day in September: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/team-gael-force-skye-foodbank