An Turas Mor – Roy’s Incredible Fundraising Cycle Run – 3rd-11th May 2022 February 19, 2022
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Image by Claire Heminsley

What’s it all about?

Hi, it’s Roy here.

Letham Nights, our beloved live music initiative, is in danger of folding following its 2-year covid-induced hiatus.  It needs a boost of funds to help it get ahead and be able to fulfil its mission to support musicians, provide high quality acts for a local audience and work towards a zero-carbon future.  With your help we can get it back off the ground again and make it even better.  So I am planning a sponsored An Turas Mor cycle trip.

When I retired a few years ago I was invited to come along on a Thursday to cycle around Fife. This normally involved coffee and cake, sometimes a bacon roll, occasionally a pint. We normally manage around 20-35 miles. A few of the guy’s have bicycles in their DNA and my right knee still gives me gyp. So I decided that an e-bike was the way forward if I were to keep myself from being the fat lad at the back. It was totally the way forward – they are incredible machines.

Now I’m ready for a bigger challenge.  In 2019 we discussed a big trip on the bikes. ‘An Turas Mor’ fitted the bill for May 2020.  However, along with Letham Nights, the trip was put on hold as Covid19 disrupted the whole world.

As a result of the two year C-word hiatus together with some other problems (a new ticketing system; hall capacity issues resulting from our toilet facilities; out of date bar stock) Letham Nights finds itself short of ready cash and in danger of folding. We would normally have the ticket sales money in our hands pre-show but our ticket payout now comes seven days after the event.  And although we actually have plenty of toilets and it has never been a problem, the facilities in the hall currently don’t meet the building standards required and so our audience has been reduced.  Reduced audience = not enough money to run events = no Letham Nights.  All of this leaves us in a pretty pickle.

Hence the sponsored cycle.  I know that you know the value of Letham Nights.  Covid has starved us of culture and it would be a great shame to see it fold.  With your help it can go from strength to strength. 

I will leave it up to your imagination how you want to contribute. By the mile, by the day, for the whole trip

What we can do with your money…

Your pledge of support will help us to:

  1. Get ahead! We need to have at least £1k in the bank to run each event, especially now that our ticket payout comes after the event.
  2. Buy new stock – our supplies of drinks and snacks are out of date post-Covid
  3. If necessary, pay for portaloos so that we can increase the hall capacity and sell more tickets.
  4. Fund better fees for support acts.
  5. Provide support for extended events with daytime music workshops to support the young or vulnerable in our community.
  6. Offer opportunities to individuals interested in creating audio-visual content for Letham Nights or learning about running events.
  7. Help support the village hall towards a zero-carbon future.

More About An Turas Mor

An Turas Mor is a 364 mile, mainly off road/mountain bike ride from Kelvingrove Gallery to Cape Wrath. We’ll be using the West Highland Way, the Rob Roy Way, Sustrans Cycle Routes, Forestry Commission and Hydro Electric access roads. The cycle run is now planned for the 3rd of May 2022, finishing on the 11th May. 

The six of us plan to take nine days to complete the trip. The total mileage will be 364. 

There will no support vehicle, we are carrying everything we need for the trip, staying at B&B’s and the likes. 

All expenses will be paid by each of us meaning all the money I raise will go to Letham Nights.

Day 1  47 miles from Kelvingrove to Strathyre

Day 2  52 miles  to Bridge of Gaur

Day 3  59 miles  to Fort Agustus

Day 4  31 miles  to Struy – this might be very hilly.

Day 5  38 miles  to Aultguish – hills again

Day 6  38 miles  to Rosehall – guessing hilly!

Day 7  59 miles  to Durness

Day 8  27 miles  to Cape Wrath and back to Durness – we deserve a short day!

Day 9  13 miles from Crask to Lairg, from where we plan to get the train home.

An Turas Mor is in early May and our first gig back with Tom McGuire and the Brassholes is on the 23rd April, you’ll have spotted the fly in the ointment. 

I’m hoping you’ll trust that I will complete the trip and request that you pledge your contribution by the 10th April. 

We need a couple of weeks to get our financial ducks in a row!

A successful fundraiser will leave Letham Nights in a secure financial position heading into the rest of the year and the years ahead.