The team at Kirkcaldy’s Byron Hair salon were putting their feet up for a well-earned rest on Monday after taking on the Scottish mountains and watching their fundraising target go through the roof in an epic Cairngorms charity challenge.
Nine hardy hairdressers made the 20-mile trek through the Lairig Ghru, one of the toughest passes in Scotland’s formidable Cairngorms range, raising more than £3,600 for Byron’s long-time favourite charity, Maggie’s Centres, which offers support to people living with cancer and other terminal illnesses.
Setting off in style from near Braemar early on Sunday morning, the team, including Byron owner Ronnie Marshall, marched through forests and bogs, traversed boulder fields and took on the worst the Scottish midge population could throw at them before reaching their destination of Aviemore nine hours later.
With an original aim of raising £1,000, the Byron team were overjoyed as the total pledged on their justgiving.com page kept on rising, hitting £3,600 just before the weekend.
It was just the latest in a long line of charity events from Byron which have seen the salon raise more than £30,000 for Maggie’s over the past decade.
Ronnie was quick to praise his team members, as well as all those who pledged cash. He said: ‘We spent months planning and preparing for this trip, with the whole Byron team, not just those who actually did the walk, playing a vital part in our success. We’ve been doing regular hill walks together and getting top tips from nutritionists and mountain experts. This was definitely our toughest challenge yet, and to say we were elated when we arrived in Aviemore would be a huge understatement. So a massive thanks to every single member of the Byron team and all those who helped us raise a mountain of cash for Maggie’s.’
There is still time to donate for anyone wishing to support Maggie’s, either in the salon at 88 Alexandra Street or online at www.justgiving.com/Byron-Hairdressing1
