A KIND-HEARTED charity champion has raised more than £1,000 for the ongoing restoration of the Millport Town Hall.

Gary Ferguson, 56, walked, cycled, swam, kayaked, paddled and rode a horse around Cumbrae to contribute towards the iconic building’s revamp.

The CalMac worker covered 50 miles around the island by five different means - cycling around the island, a walk/jog to the top of the island, a kayak around Millport Bay, and a paddleboard and swim to the Eileans.

He told the News wanted to give back to the Millport community following their years of support for his previous charity endeavours.

Gary believes the challenge was a huge success, with six different activities completed over six hours.

He said: “There was a lot of planning and forethought in advance, and thankfully it all came together on the day.

“I started off by cycling a few miles, before walking round the island and then jumping in a kayak and going around Millport Bay.

“It was then onto a paddleboard, before a swim back to shore and onto a horse for a final trek to the town hall to finish off in style.

“I started at 8am and finished about four in the afternoon, so although it was long it was exciting because of all the different modes of transport.”

Gary has hailed the island community for their support, who he reveals got behind his challenge from the start.

He explained: “We used Pots and Pets as our base for the day, and the paddleboard came from On Yer Bike.

“One of the locals, Scott McLaren, volunteered to be my safety boat out on the water, and the island’s pipe band were on hand to pipe me into the kayak.

“The whole community really came together and helped out on the day, as well as sharing my fund-raiser in advance.

“The town is so invested in the town hall revamp, and that really came through with my fundraising challenge.”

Gary admits he was delighted to smash his original £500 target, which he believes was helped by the high-profile nature of his challenge.

He added: “Doing all of these different activities with banners and the pipe band meant it was really high profile on Easter weekend.

“Lots of people were stopping and asking questions, especially visitors to the island who had no idea what was going on.

“I thought £500 would be an ambitious target but we have smashed through that which I am so grateful for.”

Following his Cumbrae challenge, Gary is now training for a mission to Mongolia next year, where he will climb mountains to raise vital funds for Ardgowan Hospice.

You can still donate to Gary’s JustGiving fundraiser at bit.ly/garymillporttownhall.