A group of five amateur cyclists will depart today from Murtle Market at Camphill School to cycle almost 470 miles to raise funds for the sustainable social enterprise.
The cyclists are part of a peloton of 70 bp Coast 2 Coast riders who are pedalling 234-miles from Dumbarton to Aberdeen over three days from 6th June in aid of four charities, Russell Anderson Foundation, Simpsons Special Care Babies, the Teddy Bear Development Playgroup and Murtle Market by Camphill School.
While the main group is travelling to the start line in Dumbarton by coach, the Murtle Market riders, who include Nico Nino-Ramirez, sustainable development and social enterprise lead Camphill School Aberdeen and a committee member for Coast 2 Coast, will set off on their bikes from Bieldside to take on the extra challenge.
Murtle Market includes a shop, café and heritage hub, providing meaningful skills development opportunities for children and young people with additional support needs.
Nico explained: “This will be my eighth bp Coast 2 Coast cycle and we want to raise as much money as possible for the four charities so a small group of us decided to start cycling a day early and ride from Aberdeen to Dumbarton in a single day and return with the rest of the group.
“The cycle is really the reward for all the hard work that goes into fundraising for the charities each year. We have QR codes on our helmets and it’s amazing how many people are really interested in what we are doing.
“Every time we stop for a coffee break, there is an opportunity to meet with the public and people are always inquisitive. They sometimes even donate there and then and that is something I really look forward to.”
The money raised by Coast 2 Coast will help with the operating costs of Murtle Market, which opened last November. As well as creating meaningful work experience, the market offers local and seasonal produce and refilling schemes for dried food and environmentally friendly cleaning products.
Nico added: “It has been really challenging to get the concept off the ground and the funding from Coast 2 Coast is crucial as we try to get Murtle Market up and running. We are currently supporting a group of about 50 young people who are directly or indirectly receiving opportunities from the market and we want to make it a success, not just for our young people, but to provide an outlet to promote local products, support local trade and make it easier for the people of Aberdeen to shop and eat more sustainably.”
The Coast 2 Coast endurance challenge, now in its 16th year, has raised more than £2million for charity.
Each year, four charities are selected by bp North Sea employees to benefit from the proceeds of the cycle.
Last year the challenge raised almost £165,000, which was split between four charities, and this year, the committee hope to raise more.
The group of 70 cyclists is mainly made up of bp employees as well as bp alumni, representatives from the chosen charities and local organisations. Any money raised by bp employees will be matched by the bp Foundation – doubling the value of their contributions.
Committee member and bp employee, Gary McIntosh, another Coast 2 Coast veteran, who has completed the ride four times, said: “We are grateful to all the cyclists who give up their time to fundraise in the lead up to the challenge and our incredible support team who make sure we are fed and watered along the route. Since it started 16 years ago Coast 2 Coast has always been about raising as much money as possible for the charities and making a difference to the local community.”
To sponsor one of the four Coast 2 Coast charities, you can select your preferred cause and click the link below.
Russell Anderson Foundation
Murtle Market by Camphill Schools
Simpsons Special Care Babies
The Teddy Bear Development Playgroup