After several months hard
training, Lismore’s Nurse Practitioner, Mairi Perkins, has finally left for
Malawi to cycle 455 kilometres in six days to raise money for the Mulanje
Medical Mission who are in dire need of equipment.

Mairi decided to do this after hearing that
the theme for the Women’s Guild was “daring to care”. Despite being only
a novice on a bike then, she dared to take up the challenge. She chose
Malawi because of Lismore’s close connections with it through the
Livingstone and MacCormick families, as well
as its close ties with Scotland itself and the Church of Scotland in
particular.

Her fund raising got off
to a great start when Beth Campbell and Tony McLarney hosted a very
successful fund raising dinner in Lismore hall and since then there has been a
five day tea hosted by Morag Fowler at Point Cottage, a fund raising coffee
afternoon by Cathy Kelly and countless private events with donations pouring in.
M

airi’s aim was to raise £2000 to
£3000 but in little more than a year she has collected £5,600 every penny of
which will go to the Mission in Malawi.

Mairi's route in red

It has not been easy. For months
now Mairi has been getting up very early, before her nursing day starts, and
cycling up to 20 miles in all weathers. She has been to the gym three times a
week and, when the weather made all that impossible, has worked out on her
static bicycle. Right behind her with encouragement and great good humour, has
been husband Tony and 10 year old Eoghan who has put her right on the finer
points of cycling in rough terrain and there is no shortage of rough terrain
near Port Ramsay where the family live.

As well as cycling around 76
kilometres a day, the party will also be stopping to visit schools, hospitals,
churches etc and staying in a great variety of lodges, missions, and hostels.
Everything is being arranged by the Edinburgh Medical Mission who will also be
taking great care of the cyclists and making sure they get to see museums,
tribal gatherings, markets, and have time to interact with local people when the
opportunity arises.