A north-east outdoor adventure charity which helps youngsters across the region reach their full potential is hoping to win a new minibus with the Press and Journal.
Outfit Moray takes vulnerable and disadvantaged young people to destinations across the north to take part in a range of adrenaline-fuelled activities.
Staff take children and teenagers mountain biking, canoeing and kayaking in order to increase their confidence and self-esteem.
However, the Lossiemouth-based group has been forced to cancel sessions this year due to its “ageing” fleet of buses becoming more unreliable.
Now the cause, which works with other charities and schools across the region, is collecting tokens to win the P&J’s minibus prize to ensure it can continue to change lives.
The competition, sponsored by Nexen, gives one lucky group the chance to win a £40,000 17-seater Ford Transit from AM Philip.
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Fundraiser Karen Cox said: “During school holidays we can have two or three groups going out doing activities, which is a total of about 30 people.
“We’ve got an ageing fleet at the moment so they’re having to go to the garage more often, which costs us money, but also means they’re not available to take people out.
“We have other charities that depend on us and we want to offer a reliable service. We don’t want to let people down.”
Outfit Moray works with schools through the year by running abseiling and mountain biking sessions to build trust, encourage pupils to challenge and to provide focus.
The team also takes referrals from other charities, including Quarriers, Cornerstone, North East Sensory Services and Moray Women’s Aid, to support them with their own life-changing work.
Mrs Cox added: “At the moment our transport is working fine but they will only become more unreliable in the future, which will take money away from the work we do.”
Registration for the 2019 minibus competition is now open and tokens are available in the Press and Journal until February 3.
Groups are encouraged to register online where entrants can access a whole host of information to encourage their community to help collect tokens.
All entries must be received by February 11. Visit www.pressandjournal.co.uk/minibus for more information.