Highland Cross

Highland Cross Latest News - 19 June 2020

Highland Cross 2020 - Event Cancelled

To all teams, volunteers and charities who would have been involved in the 38th running of the Cross tomorrow, we hope you are all keeping safe and well.

We will be very much looking forward to once again organising an extraordinary event in 2021 to take place in exceptional surroundings and hope to see you all there.

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Sandra MacLennan

Leader of the Reconciliation Team at Affric Youth Hostel

It is with immense sadness that I have to inform the Community of Highland Cross of the death of our friend Sandra MacLennan who died of cancer with her family at her side in the wonderful care of Highland Hospice on Friday, 1^st May.

Sandra led the Reconciliation Team at Affric Youth Hostel ensuring that we had an accurate safety count of participants as they passed through the middle point of the foot section. She discharged this task with great diligence and much good humour and was a hugely popular member of the wee community that crews the site every year. A multi-talented bunch of volunteers embracing Sandra’s team, SYHA staff, Inverness Explorer Scouts and Dundonnell Mountain Rescue Team. As Andy Beaton of Dundonnell MRT said “The 2021 Cross will be even more poignant.”

Like so many folk on the Cross she was drawn into it by friendships and family connections. In 2006 Sandra joined her friend Doreen Murray in organising the Reconciliation and when Doreen moved to England in 2008 Sandra naturally took over. It helped that her husband Uisdean was the Foot Section Sweep Marshal and her brother in law David was on the crew of the Meadows Water Point a few miles east.

Uisdean commented that “Sandra loved her involvement in Highland Cross and she always considered the day of the Cross to be exceptionally rewarding. Sandra was disappointed to have missed last year due to her illness. I know that Sandra would be proud to be remembered as part of the Cross family.”

As an Organiser, it was a huge bonus to have Sandra in the team. She was totally reliable and I knew that she would have her crew set up and ready to go long before I asked her if she was available.

Highland Cross

Highland Cross only happens and the benefit to charities created because of the commitment of a huge collection of folk such as Sandra MacLennan. Our Community is diminished by her passing but as Andy indicated we must all work to make 2021 a fitting memorial to her.

Calum Munro MBE

Organising Secretary

If members of the Community of Highland Cross wish to send messages of support and condolence to Uisdean and their son Iain please send mail - marked “The MacLennan Family” - to Highland Cross, C/O 55 Laggan Road, Inverness, IV2 4EP or by e mail to info@highlandcross.co.uk and we shall ensure that the family receive them.

IMPORTANT UPDATE on Highland Cross 2020 – Saturday 20^th June

It is with huge regret that the 2020 staging of Highland Cross is having to be cancelled. The Organisers have delayed the decision whilst we examined any way that the event could be safely delivered but we have come to the conclusion that, given the current national medical emergency, the event cannot go on.

Unfortunately, we do not believe that there is any likelihood of being able to schedule the event on any other date this year. All registered teams have been notified through SiEntries entry system and given the option to defer their entry to 2021 on Saturday 19^th June with a confirmed place.

Highland Cross 2019

Highland Cross reaches over £5.3million with 2^nd highest fundraising total in 37 years! The figure raised in 2019 from Highland Cross participants is £286,121.

On 20 November 2019, the 5 principal charities received presentations:

Birchwood Highland received a cheque for £60,000 for improvements and refurbishments.
Cantraybridge College are purchasing a new adapted minibus.
New Start Highland have purchased a new vehicle.
Puffin Hydrotherapy Pool received a cheque for £40,000 for renewing their heating & air handling systems.
SNAP (Special Needs Action Project) are purchasing a new specially adapted minibus.

In addition to the primary causes, the participants’ success will also allow some smaller grants totalling approximately £56,000 to be distributed to charities across Highland over the next month.

The Organisers would once again like to thank competitors, sponsors and volunteers for their continued support of Highland Cross.

Top Fundraising Teams 2019

Top 10	Amount Raised	Team Name	Competitor

1	£6,315.31	Lovat Lungbusters	Simon Lovat
			Jack Fraser
			Max Konig

2	£6,235.00	Friends and Family	Willie Gray
			Katie Gray
			Andrew Lilley

3	£4,033.91	Affric Rats	Jonathan Wotherspoon
			Timothy Laing
			Alex Leven

4	£3,962.05	Over The Hill 2	Steven Scott
			Alistair Douglas
			Hector MacKay

5	£3,615.00	Momentum	Rory Mackenzie
			Michael Campbell
			Donald Begg

6	£3,235.00	Optimists	Davide Taliente
			Simon Fraser
			Perdita Fraser

7	£3,025.00	Teuchters Three	Oliver Salvesen
			Neil Haddow
			Hamish Salvesen

8	£2,730.00	Cullicudden Colts	James Maclean
			Brian Philip
			Dougal Brown

9	£2,140.00	The 3 Amigos	Paul Ross
			Darren Simpson
			Wayne Grant

10	£1,977.00	Looking for Beauly	Diane Stark
			Audrey Goddard
			Yvonne Morrison

Where do I send my sponsor money?

2020 Sponsor money should be banked by 31 July 2020 if at all possible (details below), or send cheque(s) to Highland Cross Organisers, Redwood, 19 Culduthel Road, Inverness, IV2 4AA, with competitor number on reverse of cheque (along with sponsor sheets if applicable, to enable gift aid to be claimed).

If you wish to pay by online banking, the sponsorship account details are:

Account name: Highland Cross
Account no: 00439605
Sort code: 80-91-26 (Please quote your surname and participant number in the payment reference e.g. SMITH 123)

Special Endeavour Award 2019

Ewan McCarthy recently collected his Special Endeavour Trophy from this year’s Highland Cross.

The organisers felt it appropriate to award it to Ewan from Kingussie who had just completed his 9^th Highland Cross but although in the top 5 competitors every single year, he has never won the event. On one occasion he was 5^th, on 3 occasions he was 3^rd and 4 times he has been runner up. This year he was 4^th.

For sheer consistency and tenacity, the organisers felt he was a worthy winner of the Special Endeavour prize for 2019.

Highland Cross 2019

Highland Cross 2019 took place on 22 June 2019. 734 competitors started the event with 729 completing the course and 5 retirements. Click here for full results.

Photography

Photography from Highland Cross 2019 is available here:

Click here to view photographs by Rob McConnell

Alister Norrie

A lovely tribute in the Inverness Courier to Alister Norrie.

A long standing supporter of Highland Cross with 20 Crossings under his belt. A gentleman in every regard.

Read the full article here.

Highland Cross on Facebook

Highland Cross now has a Facebook page - www.facebook.com/thehighlandcross

It is full of news about the event, important dates for the 2020 event, information about the folk who make it happen and the charities we support and who support us. There are a lot of comments about the event being posted. The comment below was left by Nigel MacGillivary one of this year’s participants – he really grasps what the Cross is all about!

"...truly is a unique community event from the coffee stall at the start to the post race buffet and everything before, in between and after."


Highland Cross have signed up with JustGiving and Virgin Money Giving to enable competitors to set up their own sponsorship page. To make a donation or to create your own page to raise money click here to visit our JustGiving page or click here to visit our Virgin Money Giving page.