Coll's Day
On Saturday September 27th, Knoydart locals held a fantastic day of fundraising for
Coll's Son-Rise® Programme.After days of wet and windy weather,
we woke to beautiful blue skies and sunshine and thankfully, for the swimmers, calm seas!
The runners, Drew Harris, Toby Robinson (Coll's dad), Iain Fleming and Tommy McManmon,
all left Inverie at 9.30 am, heading off for the foot of Ladhar Bheinn in high spirits.
Their route was to take them over the top of three of Knoydart's highest peaks:
Ladhar Bheinn (3366ft), Luinne Bheinn (3099ft), and Meall Buidhe (3120ft) , and through
some of Scotland's most beautiful mountain scenery.
Rest points (15 minutes with food, drinks, kit changes) had been planned and we are so
grateful to Oban Mountain Rescue, who coordinated and provided support and radio tracking
along route as part of a training exercise, and to all the Knoydart folk who helped at
checkpoints high up in the hills.
It was an amazing run. Coll, Finn, Lachie and I saw them all blasting down the slopes of
Ladhar Bheinn towards their lunch point, and within 15 minutes they were off again working
towards the summit of Luinne Bheinn with blue skies above the jagged ridge and the stags
roaring in the distance. I heard that Drew was even singing up there.
Meanwhile,
the swimmers, Grant Holroyd, Sandy Sutherland, Leon Harris and Robert
Beveridge, had planned their feat of endurance to start at 3.00pm in Mallaig to ensure the
large spring tide was behind them. They were swimming in relay the six long, cold miles
into and over Loch Nevis to Knoydart's village of Inverie.
Jumping into Mallaig Harbour just doesn't bear thinking about!
Tubs of vaseline were in evidence and we were again very lucky to have excellent support.
MV Spanish John, and Skipper Greg Milligan provided hot soup and acres of deck space for
warming up, while Mark Woombes acted as rescue launch alongside the swimmers in his RIB.
Thank you also to trusty supporters who spent the afternoon cheering each leg on.
Back in the village preparations had been made for the heroes' return. The bunting was up,
banners, balloons and pompoms were waving, the pub was in full decoration and many people
had been cooking. As the swimmers approached, everyone gathered on the pier in anticipation.
The runners could see Spanish John's position in the Loch from their descent of Meall Buidhe.
Determined to meet their arrival with a huge spurt, they curtailed their final break and ran
on down the glen.
The swimmers dived in for the final stretch to cheering and hooting and as they climbed out
of the sea to a hero's welcome (6.45pm), the four runners charged down the pier to join
the celebrations. What an amazing moment! What an achievement! What a community!
How can we thank these brave men for their herculean efforts on Coll's behalf?
A gas fire was brought down the pier to warm the swimmers up and then we all retired to
the pub for the recovery session!
But Coll's Day was not over yet - professional musicians and friends arrived from Edinburgh
and the ceilidh got underway. People dug into their pockets once more to raise an
incredible £800.00 on the door and the music and dancing carried on in true Knoydart fashion
until five in the morning.
We are left with wonderful memories and a sense of deep gratitude to everyone who helped to
make it all possible, including of course, those of you reading this who sponsored the guys
and have made such generous donations to Coll's Appeal.
TO EVERYONE WHO HAS HELPED IN SO MANY WAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH!
So far, Coll's Day has raised a staggering £10,000, and the total is still rising!
For regular updates on our total and upcoming events, please check out
Coll's fundraising page.
If you raised money through sponsorship and would like to pass on our thanks to any sponsors,
please click here for a printable THANK YOU page.
Return to Coll's page here.
For more information contact
Katherine Robinson, Joiner's
Croft. Knoydart, Mallaig, Inverness-shire, PH41 4PL.
Telephone +44 (0)1687
460250,
or email joinerscroft@clara.co.uk