A CHURCH of Scotland minister in Edinburgh is going for gold as she participates in the Olympic 2012 Gold Challenge for charity.
From the beginning of December until the Olympic opening ceremony on July 27th 2012, Reverend Lezley Stewart has to cover 2012km [1250 miles] using any Olympic discipline.
The Currie Kirk minister explained she took on the unusual challenge to raise funds for Poppy Scotland: “As a minister I find Remembrance Sunday more and more poignant each year, as lives continue to be lost and changed through conflicts in the world.
“This year was particularly moving, knowing people personally who had been affected, so I found myself, like many others, wondering what I could do to help in some way.
“PoppyScotland support so many families and ex-service personnel in so many ways, and I felt I wanted to do something more to support that work than just buy a poppy.”
She continued: “I’ve managed to get into a routine of covering 10km six days a week, mainly at the gym as the weather isn’t great at this time of the year.
“Using a combination of running, cycling, rowing and walking makes it more manageable day to day, but I have some aches and pains and I look forward to Sunday for more reasons than one now, as that’s my day of rest from exercise!
“This is a challenge that requires endurance and commitment and I’m happy to put in the effort day by day, but would love to be encouraged knowing that folk are sponsoring me and raising money for such a good cause.”
It’s all in aid of a very good cause, and Lezley says she would like to raise at least £2012 for Poppy Scotland.
Having broken the 100 mile mark (160 km) her progress can be seen at: https://www.goldchallenge.org/gc/user/lezleystewart, where you can also sponsor her.
