The older brother of a Camphill School Aberdeen student has completed an impressive 200k cycle, raising over £2,100 for the Aberdeen charity.

Ciaran Mulligan, 27, and his partner Fiona (Fi) Keith, also 27, took on the mammoth challenge this past Saturday, 14^th October. The pair, who are currently based in London, cycled round Richmond Park to complete the fundraiser. Starting at 4:30am on Saturday, it took Ciaran and Fi 10.5 hours to cycle the full 200km – 13 hours including breaks – averaging a speed of 20km per hour.

Ciaran says his brother Niall, who has been a resident at Camphill since 2019, has grown in many different ways since arriving at the school. Ciaran admits he had mixed emotions about his brother living away from home as it was one of the biggest changes the family had gone through. Before joining Camphill, Niall had very little independence and would often rely on a wheelchair when walking long distances. Now, he is able to go on long walks and get involved in a variety of activities, and he has formed friendships with people his own age. At Camphill, Niall takes part in woodwork and carpentry, swimming and helps in the gardens where fresh produce is grown. He especially enjoys walking the alpacas that are kept on the estate!

Fi, who has often gone on cycling trips with her dad, came up with the fundraising idea after she and Ciaran visited Murtle Estate earlier this year. Seeing how happy and content Niall was and how well all the staff knew him, inspired them to raise money for Camphill to show their appreciation for the school.

After completing the cycle, Ciaran expressed the importance of the work Camphill does, not just for young people with additional support needs, but also for their families. Knowing that Niall is somewhere that truly cares for and supports him is a gift to his family.

This was Ciaran’s first time fundraising for Camphill – he’s not sure how he’ll top this challenge for the next one!

There is still time to donate to Ciaran and Fi. You can show your support here: https://localgiving.org/fundraising/200k4camphill/