On Friday 10 September, 198 property professionals from across the UK travelled to Drumlanrig Castle on the Queensberry Estate, Dumfries & Galloway, to take part in the 2021 Buccleuch Property Challenge, raising over £20,000 for Borders Children’s Charity in the process.
Breaking the fundraising target of £10,000, the money raised through the Challenge will help Borders Children’s Charity continue to support children experiencing poverty or distress in the Scottish Borders.
Competing in groups of three, 66 teams took on the adrenaline-fueled adventure race, designed by BlueSky Experiences to be a mental and physical test of fitness over a distance of 40km. With new challenges added each year, participants took part in mountain biking, running, paddle boarding, wild swimming and orienteering, as well as axe throwing, Highland games and conquering a number of skills-based activities.
Leading the way were “Paulls of Stone” from Burness Paull, LLP whose team of three rose to the Challenge in just 3 hours and 51 minutes, to take the gold medal in the mixed team category. The single male team gold medal winners, “Going for Silver”, a team from Buccleuch Property, closely followed, crossing the finish line after 4 hours and 32 minutes. The female single trophy was won by representatives from Borders Children’s Charity with a time of 6 hours and 5 minutes.
David Peck, Managing Director of Buccleuch Property said: “At the time we took the decision to run the Challenge we knew we were taking a risk that it might not happen but the response we received on all levels was really heartening from the commitment and enthusiasm of all the participants and those involved in running it, to the incredible amount of money raised for the Charity – it has definitely made it one of our best yet.”
Rebecca Dolby from Borders Children’s Charity added: “Borders Children’s Charity is absolutely delighted with this incredible outcome. We are so grateful to the team at Buccleuch Property for sponsoring us this year. The substantial amount of money raised will help many local children in the Scottish Borders, funding basic needs like beds, bedding and clothing; special needs equipment that would simply be unaffordable for the family but that make a huge difference to a child’s daily life; school trips that a child would otherwise miss out on; programmes and outings that enhance education or provide relief from a chaotic home environment. What an amazing result from a fantastic day – our BCC team winning the all ladies’ category was the icing on the cake.”
Representatives from organisations including Impec Developments, Native Land, Anderson Strathern, CDA Group, Cushman & Wakefield, CBRE, Cruden Homes, Savills and more took part in this year’s Challenge.
