Tuesday 17 May 2011

Spreading news of the alternative spurred on cyclist

PCS campaigning inspired cyclist Mark Chapman to ride from northern Scotland to the union’s national conference on the south coast of England.
Mark, chair of the Revenue and Customs Aberdeen and Inverness PCS branch, travelled 800 miles in nine days, sharing the union’s message of an alternative to government’s cuts with as many people as possible on the way.
Mark said: “I saw the alternative booklet and my vision was that it should land on everybody’s doorstep. The messages of support I received on Facebook and on my blog have been unbelievable and kept me going, even through the driving wind and rain.
“I wanted to make a difference and raise awareness about the campaign as I went along.”
The cyclist has also been raising money for the PCS hardship fund; the Multiple Sclerosis Society; and the Val Irvine Foundation, a charity named after a close friend who died of cancer.
Save Wick
He was also keen to highlight the campaign to prevent the closure of Wick tax office and stopped off at HMRC offices and sites en route that are under threat of closure or have closed, and talked about the union's campaign for the alternative to spending cuts.
Mark was supported during his trip by his wife Marie and also joined for a leg of his journey by PCS Scottish secretary Lynn Henderson.
His parents were with him from Chesterfield onwards.
Standing ovation
PCS Revenue and Customs group president Dave Bean praised Mark’s ‘fantastic achievement’ and presented him with a certificate and a bottle of champagne during the first morning of the group’s two-day conference. Fellow delegates gave Mark a standing ovation.
He celebrated the end of his journey on Saturday with a single glass of wine.
He said: “I didn’t want to risk anything more as I’d been alcohol-free and eating healthily since the start of the year.”
Mark, looked surprisingly sprightly after his marathon, and is more determined than ever to fight the cuts - through his branch, Aberdeen trades council and PCS town committee.
He said: “The bike’s already gone back and the next thing for me is a public meeting in Aberdeen as part of campaigning against the cuts. I think I’m going to be busy.”
The PCS annual conference is at the Brighton Centre, Kings Road, from Wednesday 18 to Friday 20 May.
So far Mark has raised around £10,000.

Visit Mark’s website – The Long Road to Brighton
Sponsor Mark

Try the PCS website at http://www.pcs.org.uk/

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.