Bearsden man and best pal go the distance for charity

Lifelong colleagues David White and Joe Devin put their best foot forward for charity last month.
David and Joe at the summit of Ben Nevis.David and Joe at the summit of Ben Nevis.
David and Joe at the summit of Ben Nevis.

David (42) of Bearsden and Joe (43) of Drumchapel, have been friends and colleagues since they met as apprentice engineers and decided to do something spectacular to mark their 26-year friendship.

At the beginning of June, they took on the challenge of walking the West Highland in just four days, with the added bonus of ending the 96-mile trek by climbing Ben Nevis to raise funds for Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland.

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The duo completed the arduous test in just four days and raised over £2,100 for the charity. Now their hard work is set to pay off big time as their employer, international spirits company the Edrington Group, has promised to double match their total for the charity.

The chums chose Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland because each has a personal connection to heart and lung conditions. David’s dad, Tony, had two heart attacks in his early 50s and a quadruple bypass following the second aged just 52. Tony is now 82 and still hale and hearty. Joe’s mum, Janet, had stents fitted in her heart and lived with COPD before passing away six years ago.

David said: “I’d always wanted to do the West Highland Way, and we knew we would need to put in some training. We had to get up at 6am and be on the route from then until 7pm at night. It was brutal at times, but we battled on. We did it in the four days and finished by climbing Ben Nevis.”

Joe said: “Doing the West Highland Way seemed like a great way of doing something we both enjoy and getting a catch-up of the good times over the last 25 years. We chose CHSS because this is a charity that helps people we know have suffered, from close friends and family to work colleagues. We also took advantage of the charity days we have from work.”

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Aristotelis Baroutsis of Edrington said: “Supporting our employees in giving back to their communities is an important part of Edrington’s culture. We’re delighted to add our contribution to David and Joe’s fantastic fundraising effort for Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland.”

To support their efforts visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/david-white96

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