A £500 DONATION from gas network company SGN has boosted the fundraising efforts of one of its employees, who cycled over 50 miles starting from Stirling High School to raise money for research into Parkinson’s Disease.

Kevin Macdonald, General Manager of Special Projects at SGN’s Edinburgh office in Newbridge, was among 190 cyclists who took part in Pedal for Parkinson’s a sportive run by the charity Parkinson’s UK.

The Pedal for Parkinson’s route starts and finishes at Stirling High School, and riders are able to choose from three routes of varying difficulty: 23 miles, 34 miles for 51 miles. The 51-mile route takes those riders brave enough to choose it through the stunning scenery of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park.

Kevin explained what prompted him to take part in the event: “My wife’s father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease two years ago, so we’d been looking to do something that would raise money for a Parkinson’s charity.

“We saw this event advertised locally and thought we’d take part. When they heard we were doing the ride, a group of friends from our local village decided to join us and my daughter also took part in the 23-mile ride, so there was quite a group of us in the end.

“Neither my wife nor I are keen cyclists – my training consisted of one 15-mile cycle ride three months ago – so we found 51 miles a bit of a struggle to say the least.

“The first 20 miles of the ride went well, but then we reached Duke’s Pass – a four-kilometre-long stretch of road on a 240-metre incline. That’s when we really started to struggle. It was definitely the hardest part of the ride, but we persevered and made it to the top – an achievement that was probably the highlight of the whole event for me.”

Donations are still coming in, but so far Kevin, his wife Elaine and the rest of the team have raised nearly £2,000 for Parkinson’s UK in sponsorship from family, friends and colleagues. This total has been boosted even further by a £500 donation from SGN’s Into Action fund, which supports employees who give up their time for charity.