Highland Cross announces charities that will benefit from 2025 event
Four new charities have been selected to benefit from a share of hundreds of thousands of pounds likely to be raised at this year’s Highland Cross.
The 2025 event, which will be the 41st staging of the unique community duathlon, is due to take place on Saturday, June 21. It will see hundreds of competitors run or walk from Morvich at Kintail to Glen Affric before cycling to Beauly on the east coast.
Nearly £100,000 of “smaller grants” have also been distributed from remaining funds raised from the 2024 event.
The organisations which benefit from the fundraising are selected by an independent charity selection panel, which follows a rigorous process to identify the most deserving causes based in or working in the Highlands.
The four charities selected for the 2025 event will each receive a new minibus to help them with their charitable aims.
Badenoch and Strathspey Community ConnXions (BSCX) needs to replace its accessible minibus which helps the charity provide transport and wellbeing opportunities that support around 400 people every year.
Rag Tag and Textile Ltd, based in Skye, provides support through creative craft workshops to people with mental illness or poor mental wellbeing. Service users are referred by healthcare professionals, and often need help to reach the events due to the rural location as well as physical disabilities and anxiety issues.
Skye and Lochalsh Mental Health Association is looking for a hybrid minibus in order to provide equality of access to its well-established drop-in centre, Am Fasgadh, in Portree. The centre offers a safe space for those with mental illness to meet, build relationships, and access a hot, home cooked meal daily.
Gateway, operated by the Highland Homeless Trust, works to provide opportunities to vulnerable adults. It has purchased a home in Inverness to provide supported living for six people with learning disabilities, and the Highland Cross funds will allow the charity to purchase a vehicle to help them further integrate into the local community by accessing new events and places.
Calum Munro, co-founder and organising secretary of Highland Cross, said: “The independent selection panel have identified four brilliant causes and everybody in the amazing community that comes together to make Highland Cross happen will do everything in their power to create a safe and enjoyable event to raise another great sum for these Highland organisations.
“Planning is already well under way and the balloting of fundraising teams wanting to take part will get under way in early February. A total of 265 three-person teams will take part in this unique coast to coast challenge and bring benefit to the folk of Highland.”
The panel also allocated £99,464 in funding to nine Highland charitable projects from the money left over from the 2024 event after the major beneficiaries had received their grants in November.
These “smaller grants” went to: Lochaber Action on Disability; ILM Highland; Spokes for Folks; Highland Action for Little Ones; RASASH; Relationships Scotland – Family Mediation Highland; Highland 4x4 Response Group; The Elsie Normington Foundation; and Nairn Beach Wheelchairs.
John Fraser, treasurer of Highland Cross, said: “The distribution of these grants completes an extraordinarily successful fundraising year. The participants in Highland Cross 2024 did amazingly well to raise the magnificent sum of £368,295. Now we turn our efforts to the creation of the 2025 event and look to generate yet more benefit for Highland causes.”