Thurso schoolboy Aidan Macgruer raises £1800 for Scottish Huntington's Association in virtual North Coast 500 cycle challenge
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By Iain Grant & John Davidson
An eight-year-old schoolboy from Thurso said he was determined to complete a virtual charity cycle of the North Coast 500.
Aidan Macgruer has been clocking up the miles on his bike mostly on roads around his home town since starting the challenge on January 1.
He has been joined by his mum Debbie Larnach and various friends and family members on his outings – and even did a 24-mile stint during a holiday in Spain.
Earlier this month his grandad, retired ambulance technician Willie Larnach, from Inverness, piped him in as he finished the final 11-mile leg from Reay to Thurso.
The youngster had set himself a year to complete the challenge but finished five months early – raising £1800 for Scottish Huntington’s Association along the way.
“I’ve loved doing the cycle,” said Aidan. “Everyone was very supportive and I got plenty of waves and cheers when I was out on my bike. They all knew I was raising money for Scottish Huntington’s Association and I received loads of donations from people I’ve never even met.
“There were days when the weather was bad and I wasn’t keen on going out but I was determined to complete the 516 miles. There was also a day when I was stung by a wasp and another day when I fell off my bike on a dirt track. But my mum, dad and stepdad all kept me going and encouraged me by coming out on their bikes too.
“I chose to help people with Huntington’s disease because it’s a rare condition that not many people know about. All the money I’ve raised is being donated to Scottish Huntington’s Association.”
Aidan, a P4 pupil at Mount Pleasant School's Gaelic medium unit, decided to raise money for the charity because the disease afflicts his step-brothers' mum.
Since Lucy Sinclair, from Wick, contracted the disease, her children, Reece (15) and Cody (14), have been living with Debbie, their father Steve, Aidan and his brothers Conor (14) and Liam (12).
Aidan was accompanied on the last leg of his 516-mile challenge by a dozen members of his family and friends.
After being piped over the finishing line in the town hall square by his 71-year-old grandad, Aidan said: "It was great to see so many people at the finish."
After dismounting, he was already eyeing his next charity challenge. "I'm thinking about doing 200 miles in a month on my next one," he said.
Scottish Huntington’s Association chief executive Alistair Haw said: “Congratulations Aidan! What a brilliant way to increase awareness about Huntington’s disease and raise so much money. Aidan’s efforts will go a long way to help us reach every family with the lifeline services they need and to continue our work to ensure that every family, regardless of where they live, has access to specialist support. We thank him, his family and everyone who donated – and we can’t wait to see what Aidan does next.”
Mum Debbie added: “It’s been a great experience and Aidan has really enjoyed having people cheering him over the past eight months. It’s been an adventure for the whole family and we’re all incredibly proud of him.”
