Barra and Benbecula hosted a mini-Olympics last week as five young cousins battled the wild weather to raise an amazing £3,000 for families half a world away.
The cousins travelled more than 60 kilometres, to represent the six decades of the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund has been active. Lewis Campbell and Scott Irving were up first and cycled from St Mary’s Church on Benbecula to the ferry terminal to Barra. Despite the very windy, challenging conditions, the boys managed to cycle the full 50 kilometre route.
Next up were the swimmers: Ross Irving and Robbie Campbell. They were hoping to swim through Castlebay harbour but the weather was appalling. So, they took to the community pool doing hundreds of lengths instead. They swam 5.4km. Last but not least was 14-year-old Rowan Campbell who battled hailstones and hurricane-like winds to run 12.5km, finishing at Barra’s beach airport.
James Cave from SCIAF was there to record every moment.
He said: “The Barra Teens have shown us all that fundraising for charity should be a bit challenging, but mostly lots of fun.
“The weather was really quite wild, but they powered on with smiles on their faces – in many ways, a real act of solidarity, standing with those SCIAF serve around the world, and whose daily lives are really quite hard.
“SCIAF works with people of all faiths and none, in the most remote and challenging corners of the planet. Communities like those on the Outer Hebrides are incredibly generous, and should know their efforts, kindness and continuous support to SCIAF’s work are greatly appreciated.
“This year our Wee Box focuses on water. In Scotland we are blessed with some of the finest drinking water in the world. We bathe in it, use it for cooking, and drink as much as we want, whenever we want. We take it for granted that it will always be there.”
Lent is 40 days of reflection, fasting, and prayer leading up to Easter. Each year generous Scots up and down the country give up a favourite treat such as coffee, chocolate, wine or crisps during Lent and put the money they save into a SCIAF Wee Box.
