Buckie woman cycles 100 miles to Nairn and back to raise £1500 for MS Society
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A BUCKIE woman has completed a 100-mile cycle to raise cash for a charity close to her heart.
Stephanie Cormack (33) cycled from her home in Buckpool to Nairn and back to raise more than £1500 for the Moray branch of Multiple Sclerosis Society UK.
Mrs Cormack's grandpa suffered with MS and her husband Stephen is now wheelchair-bound after being diagnosed with the debilitating disease six years ago.
Stephanie, who has previously run a half marathon and skydived to raise money for the MS Society, was determined to fundraise for the Moray branch of the charity which she said has been "amazing" in helping her husband.
"I hadn't fund-raised for a while and thought this would be a perfect opportunity," she explained.
"It's a charity so close to me. Since moving back to Moray from West Lothian in 2016, the support from the Moray branch of MS Society has been amazing.
"Stephen was struggling with going out with people seeing him in his wheelchair. He has since started wheelchair curling and it has given him so much confidence.
"They have been so supportive in helping our family, too. Myself, Stephen and our two daughters Ashleigh and Aimee – who are 13 and seven."
The cycle totalled 103 miles, with Stephanie leaving her house at 7.45am and returning home just after 5pm. Her total cycle time was six hours 50 minutes, with plenty of rest stops along the way.
There were a number of unscheduled stops, too, with a double puncture giving the 33-year-old a less-than-ideal start to her trip.
Luckily, she overcame everything the journey threw at her – with the help of Elgin Cycling Club – to raise £1500 for the MS Society.
She added: "I did a lot of training for the cycle but, within the first 20 miles, we had a few problems.
"The cycle path to Elgin was closed meaning we had to use rough terrain. Then I got two punctures.
"It was definitely eventful but, luckily, I had people with me at every step of the way and we got through it.
"Elgin Cycling Club has been absolutely fantastic with my training and I was never on my own yesterday.
"Nobody did the full 100 miles with me but I had somebody at every part of the journey.
"People that I don't know have sponsored me through my JustGiving page and there are a lot of anonymous people that have donated.
"I just wanted to say a big thank you to them all."
You can donate to Stephanie's cause by clicking HERE .
