Footing the bill for care facility

Jun 16 2009 by Gordon Bannerman, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

TWO local businesswomen are putting their best foot forward and taking part in the ultimate walking challenge to raise funds for local young carers.

Eva Smart and Janice Laurie have signed up for the famous Nijmegen Marches in Holland.

The world’s largest walking event will see 40,000 participants complete 100 miles over four days.

Originally established for the military in 1909, the Nijmegen March still attracts several thousand military participants

The committed pair have been training for several months, preparing for the big event on July 21-24.

Eva explained: “We will be walking in four large, 25mile loops – the equivalent of walking a marathon per day. Each daily walk is named after the biggest town it goes through.”

Originally from Holland, Eva is delighted to be returning to her home country for the new challenge.

The keen walker first took part in long-distance walking events back in 2002 and has completed an event every year since.

Janice and Eva first completed a 5km Race for Life together and progressed to complete the Moonwalk Marathon in 2008.

The pair are excited to be raising money for the Young Carers Project, a service which is part of the local charity PKAVS.

The project supports children aged 5-18 years who have caring responsibilities for a family member with an illness, disability or drug or alcohol problem. Staff provide tailored support to over 50 children across Perth and Kinross, while also supporting hundreds of other young carers through collaboration with schools and other youth services.

Janice commented: “We wanted to focus our fundraising on a local cause and The Young Carers Project needs to raise thousands of pounds every year to sustain their work. The walk will be a challenge for us both, however we’ve made the commitment and it will be worth it when we see the difference our efforts have made to these fantastic young people.”

In-keeping with the military theme, Eva and Janice are kick-starting their fundraising with a fun, military-style fitness session on the North Inch in Perth on Saturday, July 11. Experts from British Military Fitness will put participants through their paces from 11am to 12 noon.

The session is open to adults and children and the entry fee is £5. To enter, contact Eva at the Smart Good Food Shop on 01738 451591.

To support young carers in a less energetic way, a fundraising coffee morning is also being held on July 11 at The Gateway in North Methven Street, Perth between12.30pm and 2pm.

To sponsor Eva and Janice online, visit www.justgiving.com/janiceandeva