27 June 2011

Two hundred walkers yomped their way to raise thousands for charity

Over 200 yompers crossed the finish line at the first ever Alliance Trust Cateran Yomp this weekend. The event kicked off at 7am on Saturday morning at Blairgowrie and led the yompers through Kirkmichael, Spittal of Glenshee and Kirkton of Glenisla to finish the 54-mile hike.

The event is on track to raise over £200,000 with two thirds of the total going to the ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, and the remaining third going to the chosen charity of event sponsors Alliance Trust – the Prince’s Scottish Youth Business Trust.

Walkers from across the country, from Jersey to Aberdeen took over seventeen million steps and burned over one million calories in the epic 24 hour adventure across stunning Perthshire.

The fastest team were Team A from One Battalion, The Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers (REME). They crossed the finish line in a blisteringly fast fourteen hours and twenty-seven minutes (they ran the first 40 miles). Team leader Daren Fisher commented that: “We have recently come back from Afghanistan so the ABF Soldiers Charity’s work with injured soldiers is very relevant in all of our minds. It is an amazing feeling to have set the fastest time for this new event and it is a credit to the organisers that the Challenge has been run so professionally in its first innings.”

Team Cairn Energy from Edinburgh raised the highest total to date of over £15,000. Elizabeth Ritchie, one of the team of eight, commented that: “Everyone really appreciated such good causes and we didn’t have to explain much for them to sponsor us. The whole event has been really well organized with great facilities, great cake and helpful staff.”

Yompers also enjoyed a range of activities at each of the three checkpoints, including clay pigeon shooting, archery, assault course and a Mini Yomp for children to take part in.

David Fox-Pitt, Event Director at WildFox Events said: ““We are delighted to have brought another stunning event into action and it has been a lot of fun putting the Yomp together. There is no other 24 hour event where teams are able to have a crack at a clay pigeon, practice their bow and arrow skills, try out the 100 m flying fox, be ambushed by Highlanders, witness a fire breathing dragon, savour the local wild boar burgers, receive a full body massage (times three on the way round!) and raise money for two vitally important charities. The Alliance Trust Cateran Yomp has a bright future with its combination of personal challenge, entertainment, stunning scenery and support for good causes.”

Robin Bacon, Yomp participant and Chief of Staff at The Soldiers’ Charity said: “The Yomp has been a great success in its first year - albeit absolutely exhausting. We’re very pleased indeed with all the local support we have had as well as the enthusiasm and sheer will-power of all the participants. We couldn’t have staged this event without the unstintingly generous support of the Alliance Trust and their staff, many of who raised large amounts of sponsorship. Many more people, particularly in this beautiful part of Scotland, will now be much more aware of the important work of The Soldiers’ Charity - giving lifelong support to soldiers, former soldiers and their families in need.”

Katherine Garrett-Cox, CEO of the Alliance Trust commented: “We are delighted with the success of the inaugural Cateran Yomp. The Soldiers’ Charity and the Prince’s Scottish Youth Business Trust are both fantastic causes and the evident success of this event will enable them to help even more people up and down the country. We are thrilled to be sponsoring this event and are committed to our ongoing partnership with The Soldiers’ Charity.” 

Check out our Flickr site to see our top selection of images from the day.

To join our Yompers next year and sign-up for the Alliance Trust Cateran Yomp visit: www.soldierscharity.org/yomp