Co-op staff do their bit as they Step Up For Sam
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EMPLOYEES at Co-op stores across the Highlands are cycling the North Coast 500 to raise money for an Inverness three-year-old.
They will tackle the gruelling bike ride from September 9-15 and the challenge will mark the end of three months of fundraising for Sam Douglas, who suffers from an undiagnosed neurological condition which causes epilepsy and developmental delay.
Their efforts are part of the Step Up For Sam campaign, which aims to fund specialist treatment and equipment for the youngster.
Sam, who lives with his mum Steph, dad Kris and sister Molly, requires long and intensive courses of therapy, much of which is not available on the NHS, in order to potentially become more physically independent.
He has already undergone treatment in London which has made huge improvements to his balance.
Sam’s family are hopeful that with further treatment, his quality of life can be improved even more.
Daniel Simpson, Co-op’s area manager for the north of Scotland, said: "It’s a core belief in our society that we connect with the communities we support and serve. We have already started training for the cycle and we are meeting up regularly to get some miles under our belts.
"The North Coast 500 is not for the faint-hearted and this is one of the biggest fundraising challenges we’ve ever taken on, but we think it’s befitting of this very special little boy."
Cheryl Baikie, manager of Co-op’s Church Street store in Inverness, said: "When we found out about Sam and his family we really wanted to do something for them.
"The Co-op is community-focused and we want to help people around us.
"We started our fundraising activity a few weeks ago and the team have been fantastic.
"I am actually really looking forward to it – it’s going to be a great few days."
