JoGLE charity ride for cystic fibrosis
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A YOUNG man who set off on a 1085-mile fundraising trek from John O'Groats on Saturday dropped by a Lyth riding stable on his way south.
Twenty-four year old Louis Hall is undertaking the 50-day John O'Groats to Land's End (Jogle) trip as part of a cystic fibrosis charity fundraiser and, together with his entourage, took a break at Natalie Oag's riding stable in Lyth, Horsin' Around.
Natalie said: "I'm delighted to be able to help with this great cause. I was asked if I'd help by Ruaridh Ormiston who thought it would be great if I could kick-start the event at John O'Groats having been a Miss Scotland in the past.
"Ruaridh also has an equestrian centre in Kingussie so we have that in common. He not only let Louis use one of his ponies but is escorting him part of the way with some others."
Natalie added that she couldn't pass up the chance of "human Louis" meeting "dog Louis" in the shape of Horsin' Around stable mascot Louis Vuitton the Chihuahua.
"I thought it was such a fun idea of Louis meeting Louis, plus it gave the chance of them all to pop in to Horsin' Around for a snack."
After leaving John O'Groats at around 11.30am, Louis and his entourage arrived at Lyth a couple of hours later.
Natalie travelled to the stable with Ruaridh in his horse and cart along with dogs, Louis and Rusty.
While at the stables, the young man explained a little about the journey and what it was all about.
"I didn't really expect such great open spaces here. Setting off from John O'Groats was such a blur of excitement and it's great to be here now," he said.
"Ruaridh very kindly offered to escort me down part of the way on his horse and cart.
"We have a support car driver too and some others who will follow as far as Inverness and then I'm on my own with Irelanda – one of Rauridh's Highland ponies."
He said that the trip is in memory of his friend Leo van Heyningen who died of cystic fibrosis in 2015.
"Leo was kind of adopted into our family like another cousin and was always around when I was growing up. When he died it just left such a huge space."
The aim of the Jogle journey – officially known as The Big Hoof – is to raise £10,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and pay tribute to his late friend who died at the age of 26.
"Leo was an incredible inspiration, friend and human being to everyone he met.
"He chose to live his 26 years full of love and hope – he never wasted a second, and remains a hero to many.
"During the spread of the coronavirus, I realised how many people with underlying health issues, such as cystic fibrosis, would need serious help and support."
Average life expectancy for someone with the disease is 37 and there is no cure.
"But each and every day we get closer to finding something that will work," Louis added.
The money raised on The Big Hoof trip will go into the extremely costly production and distribution of a potentially life-saving drug, and into further research into a total cure.
"I expect the ride to take around 50 days. We want to average between 18-22 miles a day, but we will see what happens on the way.
"With each step that Irelanda and I take, and with every donation big and small, we will all be fighting this disease and helping to prevent further loss in the future."
Louis and his team set off after posing for some pictures at Horsin' Around but before leaving he paid tribute to all the sponsors and others such as Ruaridh who made the trip possible.
The Big Hoof can be followed on Instagram and Facebook by searching #thebighoof or @thebighoof
To donate to The Big Hoof visit the fundraising page at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/louis-hallcf
