A KILCREGGAN man is doing his bit for a local charity by taking on the Great Glen Way.

John Clark McMurtrie, 63, is looking to raise as much money as he can for the Dementia Centre in Helensburgh so that they can continue with their work in the local community.

John said: “I noticed an article about the Helensburgh Dementia Resource Centre appeal and when I went to visit the centre I was impressed by the facility and welcomed by the staff, I realised I could help.”

John is a keen walker and has already completed the West Highland Way earlier in the year and believes the Great Glen Way will be a nice way to follow on from that.

He will tackle the 79 mile distance from Fort William to Inverness over 6 days from Monday, October 3 until Saturday, October 8.

John has been training for the event by going on the lovely walks near his home with a pack weighed down by old ropes and feels he is ready.

He said: “I have broken the walk into what should be comfortable chunks - apart from the final 20-mile stage into Inverness which will be challenging for me. I intend to complete it in 6 days. It is a holiday rather than a race for me!”

John is funding the trip himself so any money he raises will go to the centre to help them continue helping those in the community.

John set up a JustGiving page with the aim of raising £300, when the Advertiser went to press John had raised £190 of his target.

John added: “People are being very generous with their donations and I hope that they won’t stop when my £300 target is reached. The more money I can raise for this facility the better.”

Victoria MacLeod,Dementia Advisor at the Helensburgh Centre added: "John is a highly valued supporter of Alzheimer Scotland. He is doing this to raise money which will be used to fund the Dementia Resource Centre in Helensburgh because he has come across several people with dementia and wants to contribute to helping people locally. This kind of support is really important to us because as a charity we rely on donations to continue our work and contributions from people like John will help us to ensure that no one goes through dementia alone."