THE organisers of a bike ride celebrating the life of Scottish missionary Mamie Martin - an advocate of female education in Malawi - will stop off in Tarbet this weekend.

Mamie, who grew up in the village and worked as a teacher in Helensburgh before travelling to Africa in 1921, set up classes for young girls to provide educational opportunities and her work is continued to this day through the Mamie Martin Fund (MMF).

After the coronavirus crisis put a stop to events and activities throughout the UK, a planned bike ride from Blantyre, the birthplace of fellow missionary David Livingstone, to various places across Scotland which are important to Mamie’s story was forced to go virtual, but now MMF members are reviving their original plan, albeit in smaller numbers.

Moira Dunworth, co-convenor of the Mamie Martin Fund, said: “The cycle ride will visit Tarbet on Sunday, August 2 to honour the history and legacy of Mamie and her husband Jack.

READ MORE: Missionary Mamie Martin to be remembered in bike ride challenge

“The riders are delighted to be welcomed to the very Manse where Mamie lived and an extract from ‘Salt and Light’, a book of Mamie’s letters, will be read in the Manse garden by Mariot Dallas, Mamie’s eldest granddaughter.

“Mamie would be so happy to know that connections between Scotland and Malawi are stronger than even and that her conviction about the necessity of educating girls is now widely accepted as true around the world.”

The cyclists will cross the water to Inversnaid with Cruise Loch Lomond and will continue through the Trossachs to Falkirk where some of Mamie’s family now live.

As well as those who are cycling the route, 38 people are doing the equivalent distance at home on the stay-at-home version which has been popular during lockdown.

A fund-raising page for the initiative has also been set up: search for 'Story on Bikes 2020' on Virgin Money Giving to donate.

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