JIM McLelland has come up with a novel way to say a great big thank you to all the staff at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary.
For the former publican is organising a 12 hour charity challenge this summer to raise money for them.
From 6 am to 6 pm on Sunday July 28 he will be walking, jogging and running constantly round Carlingwark Park in Castle Douglas in an event named ‘One Big Thank You’.
The 71-year-old from Crossmichael has committed to matching the 12 hour work shifts of staff at the hospital and in the Alexandra Unit.
Looking for encouragement and company, he said: “It will be a day of fun and celebration, providing us all with a chance to give back and show our appreciation to every category of staff, from the cleaners and canteen workers to the porters, secretaries, nurses, doctors, consultants and steadfast team of volunteers.
“Let’s recognise their hard work, which often accompanies our darkest times of worry or pain.
“While many of us may not have required their services to date, we never know what the future holds – for ourselves or for the ones we love.”
Jim is seeking donations and is keen to raise as much as possible. He has set up a Just Giving page under his name and has pledged that all funds raised will go directly to the health board’s endowment fund.
As well as thanking the hospital team, the event will remember his wife Ruth, who died from cancer in December and was cared for in the Alexandra Unit.
Jim also lost his first wife to cancer in 1994 and she was also looked after in the old Alexandra Unit. No stranger to fundraisers, at that time he ran the Southern Upland Way to raise donations.
