I am Ronnie Buchanan, 58 years of age and live in Larkhall. In June this year I am retiring from the Police Service having served 30 years in various places across Strathclyde the last 7 years as a senior officer in South Lanarkshire Division.
On 16 June 2008 I am off to ‘cross the Himalayas’ on a motor bike for charity
Why? I joined the police to help people and now that’s nearly over I want to do one more thing to help others. I wanted to do something different and raise some money for Charity.
This is not a Holiday, its not even a Trip nor an Adventure. It’s an absolute Challenge
It starts off in Shimla in India and finishes in Parwanoo 10 days and 1250 miles later. I will have spent an average of 8 hrs a day on an old style Royal Enfield 500cc motorcycle, crossed mountain deserts and ice cold rivers, rode carefully along the side of cavernous ravines on rutted tracks in temperatures ranging from zero degrees to 22 degrees. The risks are not insubstantial from landslides to unpredictable weather. At heights ranging from 7000 feet to 16000 feet Acute Mountain Sickness is common but that can lead to other life threatening illnesses of the lung and brain.It’s no wonder that a Surgeon, a GP and a Paramedic are all part of the team.
As they say “ These risks are taken not to escape life but to prevent life escaping”I needed to be fit for this challenge and I wasn’t. I went to Alan Strachan and it has worked wonders over the last twelve weeks, I’ve done the hard work, he’s been the brains and motivation. I am now in a better place to tackle anything the Himalayas can throw at me.
There are two charities that are close to peoples hearts in South Lanarkshire
- St Andrews Hospice –. This Charity helps people in Lanarkshire struck down by critical illness and their families during very difficult times. It is the adopted charity of South Lanarkshire Police Division.
- The Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust. The SDBTT is the main contributor to research into brain tumours particularly in Children.
Can you help by donating any small amount? I will be paying the full costs of the trip – all money raised will go to these charities.
A great way of donating is via www.justgiving.com.Just type in Ronnie Buchanan and select the charity of your choice. Doing it this way automatically increases your donation by 21% through the Gift Aid scheme.