A Renton man who pledged to run 7km every day in December to raise money for CHAS has successfully completed his challenge.

Douglas Fyffe set himself the goal in memory of his beloved grandfather and fellow keen runner Robert Fyffe, who passed away seven years ago last month.

Robert was a well-known baker in the local area, who ran Meadowside Cakes from his home in Queen Street, Alexandria.

Douglas told the Reporter he was pleased that there were only a few days of rain during his challenge, and despite the temptations of the festive period, he says he was sensible about what he ate and drank during last month.

Trainee dental nurse Douglas originally set a £700 fundraising target, but thanks to the support of family and friends, he has since gone above and beyond this, raising over £1100 through a combination of online and cash donations.

The 29-year-old continued: “It was nice to see the names popping up on the Just Giving page - people that I went to school with and people that I don’t necessarily see every day, but who donated because it is a cause they are happy to support.”

Friends and family, however, were not content to just give Douglas their financial backing as many even joined him on the runs, which took him variously through Alexandria, Balloch, Renton, Dumbarton and even Helensburgh on one occasion.

He added: “My papa was a proud family man, so a big theme throughout the month was that this was a family thing.

“We are a close family and they supported me all the way through which was nice. It meant a lot to everyone.

“On certain days like my papa’s birthday on December 8 and the anniversary of his passing on the 15th, family wanted to come out and commemorate it.

“On Christmas morning we got up and my dad Andrew, big sister Kirsty and little brother Andrew headed out with me. We sang jingle bells along the road, which was good fun and it started the day off right.

“It was really good on last run on the 31st because our family in America timed their own run to coincide with our run. I set off at 1pm and my cousins all got up about 8am their time in Ohio to do their run, while my aunt and uncle walked the dog.

“On the final run, we ran through Balloch park, which has a set 5km run, then ran through the streets and up the hill to Robin House, where there was a nice turnout to support us at the end. It made it special running into the final stretch and we got a wee cheer.”

Douglas thanked everyone for their donations and support and plans to head up to the Balloch hospice in the near future to present them with a cheque for the donations he has received in cash.

In the meantime, his JustGiving page is still open to donations for CHAS, a charity admired by his papa who used to take regular walks up to Robin House.

And despite the intensive nature of running 7km every day last month, he insists he has caught the running bug and will take on more future challenges.

He added: “The first week of it was pretty good with the adrenaline but then in weeks two and three I started to feel niggles here and there. In the final week, the end was in sight and the momentum pushed me through.”

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