Whilst the Coronavirus pandemic has brought a halt to activities and events up and down the country, our Briggs Equipment colleagues continue to find creative and inspiring ways to raise much needed funds for charity.
Briggs Equipment’s Service Controller, Stuart Magowan, based in our Northern Ireland office, quite literally went the extra mile as he completed the 500km ‘Wild Atlantic Challenge’ during the lockdown period.
In just under 60 hours spread across 19 days during June, Stuart completed this daunting challenge in aid of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and raised an incredible £4,193.64 in the process.
Stuart explained how the Coronavirus pandemic helped shape his plans to take on a task that equates to more than a daily half-marathon.
“Each year, I usually write myself a plan of the events that I would like to enter, and this year was no exception. However, as things unfolded, I had two of my events cancelled and realised the year was not going to happen as I imagined it.
“When lockdown started, I didn’t go outside our garden for about three weeks. I didn’t feel comfortable at all, and the risk of bringing something back to the house played on my mind so much that I hardly did any exercise. I didn’t even feel comfortable going for a run on the pavements.
“One day I took our dog for an early morning walk on the football pitches across the road from our house. It felt comfortable and a few days later I motivated myself to go for a 5km run, and then started running more regularly. I then decided to sign up for the Wild Atlantic 500km Virtual Challenge that can be done from anywhere in the world.”
Stuart’s daughter Leah, who has Cystic Fibrosis, and son Jake, were his biggest supporters throughout the event and were there to greet him at the finish line with banners and balloons!
“I am quite a motivated person anyway but there was no bigger motivation for this event than doing it for my daughter. There were days I didn’t want to go out for a run but then I’d think about why I was doing it, and seeing the donations come in and messages of encouragement kept me going. There’s no bigger motivator than something that’s close to your heart.
“If you feel yourself wanting to give up, just remember why you’re doing it. The thought will disappear very quickly, and you will get through it.”
Everyone at Briggs Equipment would like to congratulate Stuart for this fantastic achievement and wish him the very best of luck in his upcoming charitable events.