Seven Raise £23,000 Walking Across Scotland

A group of seven intrepid walkers from Balfour Beatty Construction successfully completed a 152-mile walk from Fort William on the west coast of Scotland to Montrose on the east coast for Balfour Beatty’s Building Better Futures charitable partnership with The Prince’s Trust and Action for Children.

The team, all working at Balfour Beatty’s Pinderfields Hospital Joint Venture Project in Wakefield, have raised over £11,500 which will be match-funded by Balfour Beatty to bring the total to over £23,000. The money will be split equally between the two charities.

Walking an average of 22 miles a day for eight or nine hours, the team have been training since the start of the year including two practice walks across the Yorkshire Dales (33 miles) and the Derbyshire Dales (42 miles). The mammoth seven-day trek saw the team cross well-known trails, isolated valleys and pass nearby the famous Cairngorm Mountain Range.

Martin Buckley, construction director, planned the challenge said: “Completing this walk has been an amazing experience for all of us. Despite the many blisters we suffered we persevered, helped along by the great weather we had for the duration of the walk. Meeting HRH the Prince of Wales on day 5 was a huge boost for us, especially as it was our toughest day. His kind words of encouragement also provided motivation for the 3,000 feet climb that we were facing. The last few miles were tough but being able to see and smell the sea meant that the end was finally in site.

“On behalf of the team I would like to thank everyone that has supported us and helped us to raise over £23,000 for The Prince’s Trust and Action for Children.”

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