John O’Groats footballers set off on virtual challenge fundraiser to Land’s End
Players and officials of John O’Groats Football Club have embarked on an end-to-end challenge with a difference.
They are running, walking, cycling, and in one case rowing, a combined distance of 874 miles – equivalent to the distance to Land’s End.
And there is even a chance they could double the challenge and tackle the virtual journey in reverse.
The players and committee members have set a target of £1000, and the money raised will be divided equally between the football club and the John O’Groats Playpark Fund.
Donations can be made on their JustGiving page. Regular updates are being posted on the page to show how much distance has been covered on the virtual journey.
The latest update showed they had got as far as Kingussie and had raised £375.
The playpark is to be developed next to the football pitch. It will have state-of-the-art, multi-generational recreational facilities and will be in memory of local woman Julie McGee.
Iain Green (32), a John O’Groats committee member and player, said: “They’ve been working hard to try and raise money for the play park. We were discussing it, myself and another member of the committee, and basically we’re neighbours with the play park but we’ve not really done anything for it.
“We thought we could do this and raise a bit of money.
“And it’s pretty difficult running a local football team. Unless you’ve got a wealthy financier or something like that, you’re up against it money-wise.
“We’ve got a few plans but it all depends on getting money in place and it takes a lot of work.
“We’re hoping that the players will run. The committee members, guys who are maybe a wee bit older, they can walk – but we’ll try to encourage folk to get to a running pace.
“Some people will do it on bikes and we actually have one guy on a rowing machine, which is pretty keen.
“Even if supporters want to do it, that’s where the walking element comes in.
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“One of our players, Craig Kennedy, is a new dad. He did a 4.8-mile walk with his newborn daughter. So we’ve got people doing it as young as two weeks old!”
Everyone taking part will post their respective distances into WhatsApp and Iain will keep the total up to date.
He added: “We are hoping to get it done before Christmas, but we could do it both ways. If we finish it, say, a month and a half from now, we could go hell for leather in December and try to get the other 874 miles done.”
John O’Groats play in the first division of the Caithness Amateur Football Association summer league. The team finished second from bottom this year but preserved their top-flight status by beating Thurso Swifts in an end-of-season play-off.
A statement on the JustGiving page says: “Funds raised will go towards improving facilities and equipment for John O’Groats FC, helping us to continue nurturing local talent and promoting grassroots football.
“Additionally, we’re proud to support the John O’Groats Playpark Fund, which is working to build a brand-new playpark for the area’s children. This new playpark will be a safe, fun space where kids can play and grow, making it a crucial addition to our community.
“Every donation will help us achieve our goals and bring something special to the John O’Groats community. Please support us in making a difference, one step at a time.”