Cyclists' Epic Ride Raises Beefy Sum For Charity

Four intrepid cyclists were welcomed to Edinburgh with the best of Scotch – beef and whisky - after completing an epic ride covering the whole of the UK and raising more than £33,500 for charity.

The four men, who all work in the meat sector, cycled through England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland in order to raise awareness and funds for the industry charity, the BDCI (Butchers’ and Drovers’ Charitable Institute).

Among the cyclists was Scotsman, Mark Allan, who donned a Scotch Beef t-shirt for the final leg of the journey which ended at the Scott Monument in Edinburgh where the team were met with a very welcome dram!

The team set off from Shrewsbury on Monday 15th August with the riders taking a week to tour the nation before finishing up in Edinburgh this week. On-route they made numerous stops to raise funds and awareness of the charity.

The riders included Scotsman Mark Allan, originally from Lanark and now general manager of Dawn Meats Cardington in Bedfordshire. Mark was joined by John Mercer, chief livestock adviser, England and Wales, National Farmers’ Union, Stoneleigh, Stuart Roberts, agriculture and livestock director, Anglo Beef Processers (ABP), Birmingham and Eoin Ryan, sales and marketing manager, AIBP, Ardee.

Andrew Garvey, who was providing support for the riders on the trip, said: “All the guys were over the moon upon arriving into Edinburgh having travelled through four nations.

“Overall it’s been of week of hard work, hard play and pain. They tackled some difficult terrain and weather along the way but they did it in style.

“The guys have suffered some minor injuries and incidents, but they’ve had wonderful support and received incredible hospitality everywhere they’ve been. They want to say a huge thank you for everyone’s support and donations so far. They are thrilled to have raised £33.5k, but further donations are still welcome.”

The BCDI charity exists to provide support for those who work (or have previously worked) in the meat industry, who now find themselves in need of help. Applications for support are welcomed from anyone - regardless of age or circumstances - who has been connected in any way with the UK meat trade, as well as their widows/widowers or dependents.

However, despite the good work undertaken by the charity, awareness of its existence is low, so the riders visited a number of meat plants and other industry-related venues along the way to spread the word.

Among those to congratulate Mark and the team was Uel Morton, chief executive of Quality Meat Scotland, who commended all four for their excellent fund-raising effort.

More information on the charity bike ride

Lots more meat industry news on scotlandfoodanddrink.org