A group of serving and former members of the Women’s Royal Air Force called into Moray on Monday – the latest target for a charity relay that will cover thousands of miles.
Over 600 women are taking part in the ‘WRAF’s on Tour’ relay around the UK, with each lady pledging to cover as far as she can personally manage and by whatever means available.
Some will walk their leg of the relay – while others will cycle or run. Some will even be taking part on horseback – while one is planning to rollerblade!
A spokeswoman for the relay, which set out from Stranraer at the end of June and is expected to end at the National Arboretum in Litchfield in October, said: “The relay is to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support and the Royal Air Force Association.
“We hope this is going to really capture the imagination and support of as many people as possible – so far it does seem to have done that.
“The idea was first suggested around a year ago and we now have more than 600 women of all ages – including several over 70-years-old – taking part.
“This is an important year in terms of anniversaries for women in the Royal Air Force – it will be 75 years since WAAF was formed, 65 years since the name changed to WRAF and 20 since the ‘W’ officially disappeared under the complete merger with RAF.
“It will also be 100 years since the start of WWI – an important anniversary for all members of the armed forces.”
Over £4000 has already been pledged but it is hoped the ‘tour’ will achieve a much greater total for the two charities, the spokeswoman adding: “We have been very lucky with sponsorship, Dana Petroleum have paid for all our t-shirts, and Learning With Linden were a big help during the planning stages by providing some acetate sheets to help with our route mapping.”
Further information on the relay can be found on http://www.wrafsontour.com/.