Inverness dad Neil McGregor has reached the halfway point of an ambitious year long fundraising challenge for The Archie Foundation, with a further £5,000 now on the table if he can reach his target.
Neil has completed five of 10 challenges marking the 10th anniversary of the Highland Children’s Unit at Raigmore Hospital, with his efforts aiming to raise £10,000 for children and families across the North of Scotland.
His 10 10 10 challenge has already taken him through the Inverness Half Marathon, a fire walk and both the Aberdeen and Dundee Kiltwalks.
Perhaps the most memorable challenge so far involved climbing Ben Nevis while carrying the charity’s 14 kilogram Archie Bear mascot on his back.
With five challenges completed and five still ahead, Neil is now stepping up his fundraising efforts as he tries to reach the £10,000 target.
And reaching it has suddenly become even more valuable.
Fellow Highland charity Heather’s Heroes has pledged another £5,000 to The Archie Foundation if Neil raises the full £10,000, potentially turning his challenge into a £15,000 boost for the charity.
Neil said:
“Getting halfway through the challenge feels like a huge milestone, but the fundraising target is still the real goal.
“I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported me so far, whether by donating or simply sharing what I’m doing.
“Knowing that Heather’s Heroes will add another £5,000 if I can get to £10,000 gives me even more motivation to keep pushing.
“It would be fantastic to turn this into £15,000 for Archie and ultimately help even more children and families.
“There are still five challenges to go, so I’m definitely not taking my foot off the pedal yet!”
Those remaining challenges will include another fire walk, this time in Falcon Square in Inverness, and a night time zipline.
But Neil, who works as Business Development and Fundraising Manager for The Archie Foundation in the Highlands, has saved the possibility of his biggest test until last.
If he reaches £10,000, he has pledged to make his tenth and final challenge a skydive despite admitting to a fear of heights.
He said:
“I don’t know if it was a moment of madness or inspiration.
“I wanted to end the fundraiser with something special, especially if I hit my £10,000 fundraising goal, and a skydive seemed like the perfect way to do this.
“Hopefully, I can do this, despite my fear of heights!”
The Highland Children’s Unit opened in 2016 and has since provided medical care to thousands of children from across the North of Scotland.
The Archie Foundation has been involved since the beginning and raised £2 million towards the cost of creating the unit.
Money raised through Neil’s challenge will support the charity’s work at the unit, including hospital gardens, crafts and toys for children and bereavement support for families.
Five challenges down and five still to come, Neil now has £10,000 firmly in his sights and an extra £5,000 waiting on the other side if he gets there.
To join Neil on his remaining challenges, visit www.archie.org/events/
