| 2007 Event - Saturday 19th May The original target was 100 women all paying a £10 donation entry fee = £1000 for the Lewis Branch of Cancer Research UK. How wrong would that turn out to be......! After a beautiful April and early May, Saturday 19th May 2007 dawned........damp and windy! However, that did not dampen the enthusiasm of any of the 394 participants! As one of the Stewards commented (clearly not in the earshot of any of the good ladies!) "I've never seen this many women in one place in Lewis without the promise of a ceilidh or some shopping!" The Isles FM trailer played some suitably upbeat music to get everyone in the mood and not even the sharp shower that saw everyone seek shelter in the Reception area of the College affected the atmosphere. The event was fortunate to have participants from right across the island - including a couple from Harris who ran during the week before event because they were at a wedding on the Friday and for some reason wre concerned that they would not quite make it on time on Saturday!! Ages ranged from 12 to a little older than 12......! There was also a great spread of abilities - first lady home was Eilidh Mackenzie from Holm who later in the summer became the Western Isle's first ever Gold medal winner with her maginificent performance at the Island Games in Rhodes. Eilidh may well have been the fastest but there were many small personal triumphs - including one lady who claimed an additional £50 sponsorship for breaking 40 minutes and looked as pleased as if someone had given her an Olympic Gold medal! Although we were all damp (and cold!) the atmosphere did it's best to warm everyone up! There were no injuries to speak of and everyone seemed to have a great time. It was only as the next few weeks passed that we had any inkling of how much work people had done behind the scenes in raising unbelievable amounts of sponsorship. The final total of £18,001 was so far in excess of our original target that it is still hard to comprehend! The event itself was staged at a cost of - £0! Everything to support the event was donated - from artwork to fruit! Every business or individual we approached was so generous - here is the list of everyone who helped; if we have forgotten anyone we can only apologise! The Stornoway Trust; Callum Iain Macmillian and Lews Castle College; Angus Campbell Filling Station; Gaelfresh; Manor Park Filling Station; Hebridean Water Coolers; Morag Macdonald; Gavin Earons; Kenny Murray; Kenny Smith; Stornoway Rotary Club; Lewis branch of Cancer Research UK; The Stornoway Gazette; David Morrison and the staff from Isles FM; Fiona Brodie; Dave Smith; Red Cross; Inverness Harriers; Woody’s Express Parcels; Janet Macleod and ISL staff; Stornoway Running Club and Athletics Club; Stornoway Golf Club; all the Stewards without whom the event would have been impossible - and anyone else who we have inadvertently forgotten - you know who you are - thanks!” |
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