National Trust for Scotland – director runs the virtual London Marathon in fundraising bid

The National Trust for Scotland already has its own fundraising appeal called Save Our Scotland

Yesterday, Mark Bishop, one of the directors of the National Trust for Scotland, along with many others in the UK, ran the 26.2 miles of the first ever virtual London Marathon to raise funds for the charity.

The Trust has raised over £3.4 million in its Save Our Scotland Appeal to help fund a recovery from the Covid-19 crisis. Mark’s run has raised close to £1,500 to add vital additional funds during the last week of the appeal.

Mark’s run took in several Trust properties, including Malleny Garden which is close to his home in Colinton, down to Newhailes in Musselburgh, before coming up the Royal Mile to Gladstone’s Land, and then stopping off in Charlotte Square outside The Georgian House.

He ran all this way in the pouring rain, running the majority of the distance in the darkness to be back before his family woke up. Mark’s running time was just under six hours.

Mark said: “I wanted to play my part in responding to the Trust’s SOS to its members and the wider Scottish public. Seeing so many donations roll in, alongside the funds from Scottish Government, made me feel compelled to stride out myself and raise funds too. The Trust is here to provide us all with amazing stories and places to experience. I’ve walked around most of what the Trust looks after but not run between them before. I’m hoping we can get more people to want to run or cycle between Trust properties in the future so that we become a good excuse for exercise as well as great experiences.”

Save Our Scotland –  https://www.nts.org.uk/campaigns/emergency-appeal