Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Former Highland League footballer to cycle North Coast 500 to thank charity that looked after his late mother

Sam Milton will be supported by father John in a car as he takes on North Coast 500 challenge.
Sam Milton will be supported by father John in a car as he takes on North Coast 500 challenge.

A former Highland League footballer will cycle the North Coast 500 in a ‘fitting tribute’ to the charity who supported his mother before she died from cancer.

Sam Milton from Burghead will attempt to complete the popular tourist route by bicycle in just five days in memory of his mother Mandy, who he lost in March.

He is taking on the mammoth challenge to raise money for Friends of Anchor, which supports the oncology and haematology unit at Aberdeen’s Foresterhill Health Campus.

The 33-year-old – a fixture of the Lossiemouth defence for five seasons – will be joined on the “sentimental” journey by his father John, who will be behind the wheel of a support vehicle.

Mr Milton said: “Mum underwent treatment at the Anchor unit for about 18 months before we lost her.

“What Anchor stands for is to ensure the best level of care for cancer patients in the north-east and they try to make a difference to those going through the treatment.

“I wanted to do something to show a bit of gratitude for what they have done for my mum.

“The staff in the unit do a great job trying to give people some sense of hope and normality and they were really professional.

“This challenge is an opportunity to give something back to.”

Mr Milton added: “My mum and dad completed the final leg of the North Coast 500 by car in October last year and it will forever hold a special place in my dad’s heart.

“It is fantastic to have him join me.”

Sam Milton and mother Mandy on his wedding day in Italy .

The offshore worker has been inundated with messages of support ahead of the cycle challenge and by last night had already raised more than £5,700 for his cause.

“Never in a wildness dreams that I could have imagine I would raise that sort of money,” he said.

“It is incredible the amount of support shown by people and I’ve been delighted by the nice messages I have received about my mum.

“I’m really looking forward to the cycle challenge and getting out my comfort zone.”

Mr Milton will be setting out on his journey today.

To donate to the cause, search for Sam Milton at uk.virginmoneygiving.com.