Ian Lowther, Hospice Hero, completed his 215 mile Race Across Scotland in 97hrs raising thousands for hospice care in Derwentside.
Ian crossed the finish line in the early hours of Wednesday morning (17 August) after a 6am start on Saturday 13 August at Portpatrick, with some tough climbs over the mountains, along the valleys, through the beautiful forests of the Southern Uplands.
Rachel Todd, Head of Fundraising and Marketing at Willow Burn said: "Wow, what a week. Ian has done fantastically and not only has he raised thousands of pounds but he has captured the hearts of the community, shining a light on the hospice and all of the families we support.
We have all been glued to our screens watching Ian's progress over the last week, day and night. It really has been such a special challenge. A huge thank you to Ian, Anne, Emily, David and JR for all of their commitment to Willow Burn."
So far Ian has raised over £1800 and all donations will be match funded by Erwin Hymer Group, Ian's employers.
Here is a message from Ian, to all of his supporters...
"Hi everyone,
Just back from an amazing few days exploring some beautiful Scottish scenery along the Southern Upland Way
It's been an emotional 215 miles to say the least - full of ups and downs, quite literally! But the fantastic support I've recieved from everyone along the way has kept me going and focused on the main reason why I took on this challenge in the first place - the amazing Willow Burn Hospice
I'm sure you all know my story by now, and the reasons why I'm so passionate to help with their fundraising, but it would be impossible without all of your support and generous donations, so Thank You from the bottom of my heart!
At the beginning of this challenge I set myself a target of raising £500, as I type this, donations currently sit at just over £1,800 with my wonderful employers Elddis, Compass, Buccaneer & Xplore: Motorhomes & Touring Caravans promising to match the final figure - the thought of raising close to £4,000 leaves me absolutley speechless - as anyone who knows me would tell you, this is not something that happens very often!!
There are so many people I would like to thank for getting me this far but I'd literally be here all day, so I will just say to anyone who has sent me messages of encourangement and well wishes you've really helped keep me going when things got tough, to anyone who gave me a thumbs-up or fist-bump along the way, I appreciate it and to the best support crew I could have asked for, David Robinson and Jr Stokoe, the past few days would have been impossible without you, and finally to my ever-supportive family, Anne Lowther and Emily, thank you for putting up with and supporting my crazy ideas, it means the world to me!
I may be quiet for a little while now as I take it easy and allow my feet and legs to recover, but I will be back as I have another couple of events lined up before the end of 2022, for now, from the bottom of my heart, massive thanks and respect to you all!!
Ian"
Ian is a familiar face at Willow Burn and on the charity’s social media pages, not only does he take on regular personal challenges to fundraise but he also volunteers with his daughter, Emily Lowther, 12 and pops into the Hospice with family to offer his support.
