Ross welcomes charity walker to Forres
Moray MP Douglas Ross was delighted to welcome intrepid Cancer charity fundraiser Brian Burnie to Forres today when he stopped off in his epic walk round Britain and Ireland.
Douglas commented: “I was delighted to be able to meet Brian at my local office in Forres. He is walking 7,000 miles around the coastal path of the UK and Ireland to raise money for the ‘Daft as a Brush’ Cancer Patient Care charity he founded and which provides free transport to and from hospitals in the north-east of England for those receiving treatment for the disease.
“Brian is currently based in Inverness and is living in a converted bus called Bluebell while he completes the Scottish leg of his astonishing charity walk. He hopes to raise awareness and raise enough money to take this lifeline free transport service across the country, and I was pleased that he visited Forres to allow me to offer my congratulations and support. Brian is keen to see his charity replicated in Scotland and I know their services would be welcomed in Moray.”
Brian (74), who suffers from Parkinson’s disease, said one of the many highlights of his trek so far was walking the coastal path in Moray.
He said: “The beautiful coastline has been magnificent and the beaches of Findhorn, Cullen and Lossiemouth are breath-taking. I’ve met some wonderful people and their kindness has been genuinely moving.”
With well over 1 million steps so far, covering 640 miles in 42 days, Brian was delighted to stop off in Forres to meet Douglas. He said: “Forres is one of Scotland’s oldest towns and one of the most inviting. There is so much to see and I am a little disappointed that I must keep going on my walk.
“It is my dream to open the first Daft as a Brush hub in Scotland, and with Dr Gray’s hospital in Moray I was pleased to be able to meet Douglas and discuss the possibility of dedicated cancer patient transport in the area.”
Douglas added: “I am keen to work with Brian and his charity to do all we can to bring the cancer patient transport service to Moray.”