Meet amazing Aidan Macgruer!

The eight-year old has embarked on an awesome challenge for 2022 – a 500 mile cycle to raise £500 in support of families impacted by Huntington’s disease.

Since New Year, Aidan has powered his way well past the 40 mile mark already. Not even coronavirus can stop this cycling superstar – after testing positive for the virus a couple of weeks in, Aidan battled on without missing a mile after mum Debbie set up his bike indoors!

His fundraising is going great guns too, with more than £150 already in the bank.

“Last year I did a 50 mile cycle with my mum running alongside to raise money for Maggie’s Cancer Centre and this time around I wanted to help families who have Huntington’s disease, which is a rarer disease that not so many people know about,” said Aidan.

“Cycling is my best sport so I decided to go even bigger this time by setting myself a target of 500 miles.”

Aidan has mapped out the North Coast (NC) 500 route – a 516-mile scenic journey around the north coast of Scotland, starting and ending at Inverness Castle. It takes in Caithness, Sunderland, Wester Ross and the Black Isle and Aidan is plotting his virtual progress around the route to keep his sponsors updated on Facebook.

Dad Kenny and step-dad Steven are delighted with Aidan’s efforts – “I couldn’t be prouder of the wee man,” said Kenny – while mum Debbie is so inspired that she’s joining Aidan on his outdoor cycles.

“Aidan gets his love of cycling from me and he’s been on a bike since he was tiny,” said Debbie.  “He got a real buzz out of fundraising for the Maggie’s Centre so I wasn’t surprised when he asked me what he could do this year.

“He’s doing really well and has lots of family and friends cheering him on all the way.”

Thank you Aidan for being such a fabulous fundraiser! We’re looking forward to hearing all about your adventures – and to sharing updates with our community over the coming months.