Wick Academy fitness challenge donations go past £1000 mark
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Donations for Wick Academy's three-day fundraising fitness challenge have exceeded the £1000 mark.
Over three days this weekend, players from the Highland League club are committed to running, cycling or walking a set number of kilometres – depending on how much is pledged via an online fundraising platform.
Every £1 donated adds another kilometre to the overall target, with the money to be divided equally between the club and a local charity – which has been confirmed as Caithness Rural Transport.
The service, part of Wick-based Caithness Voluntary Group, has continued to operate during the coronavirus crisis, taking people for appointments, shopping and prescriptions while adapting to comply with government guidance.
A GoFundMe page opened last week and will close at 8pm this Thursday. At present the running total is sitting at £1010.
Caithness Rural Transport co-ordinator Coreen Campbell said: "We were delighted to be chosen as the charity receiving the funding and wish to thank the players and committee for selecting us. Good luck to the boys when they undertake the challenge, which may not be an easy task with the amount of donations flooding in."
She added: "We have continued to provide our service throughout the pandemic, although the majority of our regular users were in the shielding category. This contribution will help us to continue to serve the people of Caithness.
"Our drivers have all the necessary PPE, and we have a dividing screen fitted to one of our smaller vehicles and are planning fitting these to all vehicles. This may ease the worry for some of the folk that have been shielding and have to get out for medical appointments or for other needs."
Academy manager Gary Manson explained last week how the fundraising effort would work. "However much is in the pot, the squad will then have Friday, Saturday and Sunday [August 14-16] to cover that amount or more in kilometres," he said.
"I feel it's extremely important as a club that we try to help out local charities where and when we can. This challenge gives us the perfect opportunity to give a little back to the community."
