Six ladies from Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce are training for a gruelling fundraising trek across the Perthshire countryside.
The group, headed up by CEO Alison Henderson, has signed up for the Cateran Yomp, a charity trek through the foothills of the Cairngorms. Originally scheduled for this month, the 10th anniversary event will now be held on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 September 2021, with 1,000 participants already signed up.
Since its launch in 2010, the event has raised over £3.8M for thousands of veterans, serving soldiers and their families through ABF The Soldiers’ Charity. Participants can sign up for the 22-mile bronze, 36-mile silver or 54-mile gold route with 1,000 Yompers, including serving soldiers and veterans, competing at the last event in 2019.
The event will see teams starting in Blairgowrie and walking or running a stunning circular route that takes them through Kirkmichael, the Spittal of Glenshee and Kirkton of Glenisla, with rugged, hilly terrain adding to the challenge.
Going for Gold (54 miles) are Alison Henderson, Sarah Young (Events and Marketing Manager) and Katie Preston (International Trade Officer). Donna Bell (Office Manager), Lynsey Christie (Office Administrator and Christy Rattray (International Trade and Events Officer) will be embarking on the 22-mile Bronze route.
Amusingly, the team has been named, “They told me it was a pub crawl…” following a social media appeal. The winning name was suggested by Chamber member Mark Riddell of IT Support and Cyber Security company m3 Networks.
Sarah, who is taking part in the Stirling Marathon six week after the Yomp commented, “Our plan to sign up for the Yomp dates back to January 2020. We were looking to get a New Year challenge in the bag and, because the 2020 event was postponed, here we are! For each and every one of us, the mental and physical challenge really appealed, especially after more than a year of working from home. We all wanted something to keep us going and, as the Yomp celebrates its 10th anniversary, we look forward to raising a heap of cash for soldiers, veterans and their families in the process.”
As one might expect, the team is also maximising networking opportunities throughout their training regime, which will incorporate hill training and even night-time walks to prepare for the darker hours of the Yomp.
Sarah added, “We’ve been contacted by a few members who have also signed up, so we’ve invited them along to our training walks and we’re hoping more might follow suit. We are also offering sponsorship opportunities for businesses to have their logo printed on our t-shirts which is a fantastic way of raising their profile, and I’d love to hear from anyone who’s interested sarahyoung@dundeeandanguschamber.co.uk”
To support the team, please visit ABF The Soldiers' Charity - They told me it was a pub crawl!
For more information and to register for the event, email or visit www.soldierscharity.org/yomp or the event’s Facebook page for more information.
ABF The Soldiers' Charity
ABF The Soldiers’ Charity provides a lifetime of support to soldiers and veterans from the British Army, and their immediate families, when they are in need.
m3 Networks Limited
We provide outsourced IT Support and Cyber Security Services.
Dundee & Angus Chamber of Commerce
As the leading business membership organisation in Dundee & Angus and part of the worldwide long-established Chamber of Commerce brand, we help local businesses to connect, communicate and develop for business benefit.
