A north-east man is using pedal power to raise funds to send two local football teams to a special event.
Peter Bruce, 52, of Banff, has pledged to cycle 87 miles to bring in cash to allow the under 13’s and under 17’s teams from Deveronvale Football Club to attend the Loch Lomond Youth Soccer Festival.
The accountant will join his friend Alan Neish, 46, to cycle from Inverness to Banff today.
Mr Bruce, who works at SBP Accountants’ Fraserburgh and Banff offices, hopes to raise around £1000 to cover the cost of transportation for the two teams.
The pair were inspired to help the youngsters as both of their sons play for the under 17’s team and Mr Bruce’s daughter is also a defender for the under 13’s team.
The trip will cost around £12,000 for travel, accommodation, food and entry fees. The teams have already undertaken a range of fundraising activities including bag packing and a race night.
Mr Bruce said: “It is a lot of money for the club so fundraising is essential and we wanted to do our bit to help them out. It is kind of a personal challenge for Alan and myself, combined with a bit of fundraising and we are determined to execute it well.
“We’ve been out training as much as possible and we tend to cycle a lot more in the summer months, but it can be a challenge to fit in training together with our busy work schedules.”
The soccer festival takes place from August 7 to 11 and welcomes around 100 football teams from around the world.
It began in the small town of Balloch, loch Lomond, but became so popular it has now relocated to Stirling University.