SWA staff get on their bikes to raise funds for charities

12 Nov 2012

Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) staff have cycled to all 107 distilleries across Scotland to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support Scotland and WaterAid.

A group of SWA staff reached the final destination of the tour of Scotland on Saturday 10 November when they cycled to Deanston Distillery in Doune. They were joined by employees from Burn Stewart Distillers Ltd, the owner of Deanston, and met by Bruce Crawford, MSP for the Stirling constituency.

Over the course of the year, SWA staff have covered almost 2,000 miles taking in every distillery from Bladnoch in the south of Scotland to Scapa and Highland Park on Orkney.

Scotch Whisky producers, apart from welcoming the tired cyclists, supported the impressive challenge by contributing money to the charities. Many producers also donated bottles for the cause.

To date, just under £7,500 has been raised for the charities and donations continue to flood in from the Scotch Whisky industry and family and friends of SWA staff. The bottles provided by producers, will be auctioned to raise more money for the chosen charities in the new year.

Gavin Hewitt, chief executive of the Scotch Whisky Association, who joined staff to cycle to Deanston, said:

"Our staff should be very proud of their achievement. A lot of time and effort has gone into reaching this daunting challenge. Scotch Whisky distilleries are often in very remote parts of the country so it's not an easy cycle, especially this past summer with unpredictable weather conditions.

"A lot of money has been raised for two very good charities - Macmillan Cancer Support and WaterAid. I would like to thank everyone for the support they provided.

Jayne Forbes, Macmillan fundraising manager, said:

"We are very grateful to everyone at SWA for taking on this impressive challenge. They have raised over £4,000 for our work which will make a huge difference to people affected by cancer in Scotland. We help people in many ways, from specialist nurses and doctors, to help and advice for people who have financial worries. None of this would be possible without our supporters."

Elizabeth McKernan, manager - WaterAid, Scotland & Northern Ireland, said:

"We cannot thank the SWA enough for their fantastic support and would like to congratulate them for completing their mammoth 2,000 mile cycle challenge.
"In rural Africa women often walk ten miles or more every day to fetch water. In the dry season it is not uncommon for women to walk twice this distance.
"The tragedy is that, having spent so much time and effort in reaching a source of water, the water itself is often dirty, polluted and a health hazard.
"SWA's support is helping to change this, just £15 can enable one person to access a lasting supply of safe water, improved sanitation and hygiene."

End

Notes for editors:

Please contact Rosemary Gallagher, communications manager, SWA on 0131 222 9230/0743 260 5385 or email rgallagher@swa.org.uk.

Pic shows: SWA staff, DeanstonDistillery/Burn Stewart Distillers Limited staff and Bruce Crawford MSP outside the distillery to mark the completion of the cycle challenge.

To give to MacMillan Cancer Support please visit
http://www.justgiving.com/Scotch-Whisky-Association

To give to WaterAid please visit
http://www.justgiving.com/Scotch-Whisky-Association-WaterAid

The Scotch Whisky Association was established as the Wine & Spirit Brand Association in 1912, before becoming the Whisky Association and finally the SWA.

A major exhibition to mark the SWA's Centenary entitled Scotch Whisky: From Grain to Glass opens on 29 November in the Main Hall of the Scottish Parliament.
Click here for more details.
/our-centenary/centenary-exhibition/