| Epic Euro cycle for CHAS |
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| Written by Andrea O'Neill | ||||||
 CYCLING 350 miles from Prague to Berlin in just four days might sound like an arduous task, but when the aim is to help a children’s charity it’s a challenge three East Kilbride men are more than willing to undertake.Stewartfield fundraisers Tom Ferguson (26), John Angus (27) and Alan Kemlo (26) of the Murray, will join four workmates from Clydebank-based Northern Marine, for the Children’s Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS) charity cycle in August. The trip is in memory of Jack Macpherson, the son of fellow Northern Marine employee Melanie Macpherson, who tragically died at the age of 21 months last year. Jack is the only known Scots victim of Krabbe’s disease – an incurable condition of the nervous system which leaves victims deaf and blind and unable to move. Now the intrepid team of adventurers aim to honour Jack’s memory and raise money for CHAS by completing the gruelling cycle. The men will set off from Prague on August 19 and plan to arrive in Berlin on August 24, staying in hostels on route. They should have some idea of what to expect, however, since last year several of the team finished a 275-mile cycle from Gothenburg to Oslo in four days and raised a whopping £10,500 for CHAS. Tom said: “We’ve had great support from our family and friends and are all looking forward to a great adventure. “We hope to raise even more money for CHAS.” The former St Brides pupil says the team couldn’t be better prepared for the trek. He added: “We meet up every weekend for 100-mile training cycles and are upping the mileage every week. It will be hard going but we’ll manage it. “The only thing that is worrying us this time is the heat as it is normally over 30C around the time we go which will make the cycle much tougher.” The group meticulously plot their routes on Google Earth and navigate with the use of satellite trackers but Tom admits even the best laid plans can easily go awry after last year’s team got lost in Sweden. He said: “We got completely lost and couldn’t work out how it happened. That little glitch ended up adding 60 miles to our journey. “I’m a little worried about the same thing happening in the Czech Republic as it’s off the beaten track. The language barrier could also pose a problem when asking for directions.” Melanie Macpherson said: “I think its amazing what they are doing. They did fantastic raising so much money for CHAS last year and each year just gets bigger and better so I can’t wait to see what they will do next year. “CHAS helped and supported us enormously and the help doesn’t stop because Jack passed away. “I can’t imagine not being involved with the charity now and efforts like this show there are lots of good folk in the world.” Tom and his team aim to make the trek an annual event and help out a variety of charities in the future. Those wishing to sponsor the cycle can do so at the following website www.justgiving.com/praguetoberlin/ The team will also be updating their website with all the latest news on the trip at gotto.org.uk/
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