Buckie Rovers set to saddle up to help mental health charity Feeling Blue
A Moray Welfare League football team are set to get on their bikes to help a local mental health charity.
Buckie Rovers will be swapping the football pitch for the saddle later this month when they undertake a 24 hour sponsored cycle in aid of Feeling Blue.
The charity was formed last year by Buckie couple Pauline and Allen Thain after their son Jody committed suicide out of the blue at the age of just 31 in 2023.
Feeling Blue aim to pay for counselling sessions for those suffering health issues in a bid to steer them away from taking their own lives.
Behind the Rovers’ fundraising cycle are players Ross Fiske - who is also club secretary - and Rhys Thomson.
Ross said: “Motion Fitness gym in Buckie have kindly lent us two exercise bikes and we’ll set those up in the Merson Park pavilion for the 24 hours sponsored cycle.
“We’ll be doing it in relays, and we’ve got players, coaches and committee members all taking part, everybody’s participating.
“There’s a Just Giving page people can make donations to. We’ve already raised around £400 although we don’t have a specific target in mind, we just want to raise as much as we can for Feeling Blue.
“It’ll also be interesting to see many miles we manage over the 24 hours and where that would be the equivalent of cycling to.”
The squad’s own strong sense of camaraderie prompted Ross and Rhys to push the boat out for Feeling Blue.
Ross continued: “Since Buckie Rovers came back as a club and entered the Welfare League the community have been really good to us and we thought we’d like to give something back.
“Feeling Blue does a lot of very good work.
“As a club we’re a really close bunch and we talk to each other if things aren’t going well. Some people feel they don’t have this and we want to try and help them reach out to get the support they need.
“It’s important to know it’s OK not to be OK.”
Buckie Rovers’ sponsored cycle is scheduled to get under way at 6pm on Friday, April 18.
For more information on Feeling Blue, and how to contact them for help, visit the charity’s Facebook page, phone 07907 134480 or email feelingbluecharity@gmail.com
