Practice Run to Falkirk Wheel

On Saturday 25th I had another great training session for the build-up to Malawi. I cycled just under 50 miles from Glasgow to the Falkirk Wheel, and back again. It was a great run along the canal path and a decent day for it. The way back was a bit tougher and yet again in good old Scottish fashion, the rain came on! Still, it was good training and not too difficult. It’s now under 3 weeks until I fly to Malawi and the excitement is building up. It’s going to be a great feeling knowing that the money raised is helping the communities and schools in Malawi. 

Edinburgh to St Andrews

Saturday 18th June

This has got to be the most difficult cycling event I have ever endured. It was the longest at 68 miles but it was the weather that made it a lot worse than any other. I joined fellow participants of the forthcoming Malawi trip in Edinburgh where we set off at 8:45am. There was over a thousand riders and we started at the back as we only just arrived on time. The first part if the trip was through the busy roads in Edinburgh as we headed to South Queensferry.

One of the most iconic parts was our journey over the Forth road bridge before travelling through Fife. The route didn’t take us up the scenic coastal road, but instead through the countryside. This is where the weather turned worse with heavy rainfall. There was also a difficult climb up some large hills into some dense woodlands. It looked great but felt cold and wet, and we were greeted by the most bizarre scene of an ice cream van parked up there in the wilderness. It didn’t stop a few of us grabbing a 99-er cone to celebrate our achievement thus far! There was a good downhill from here and then we had a proper rest stop at Kinross where the organisers had set up a community hall with food and hot drinks.

The weather then turned better as we travelled through the beautiful Fife countryside and things felt better. There were some excellent climbs along the way which were good from a training perspective, although it didn’t feel like that at the time! We travelled another 20 miles before the final stop and had a cup of tea and cake from the local Kirk. The last 20 miles to St Andrews was fun. Rain, wind, hills, more rain, stronger wind, and a sore knee. It was a great test of mental attitude and will power. It was after 5pm that I arrived at the beach road in St Andrews and it was a great feeling. Soaked, tired and sore but still with a smile on the face as I entered the pub for a well deserved pint!

The Last Stretch

Friday 17th June

With only 4 weeks until the Malawi trip, training has not been as intense as it should be. However, tomorrow I am taking part in my biggest cycling challenge so far, by joining the charity ride from Edinburgh to St Andrews. All 68 miles of it. The weather forecast is cloudy with scattered showers so hopefully the rain and wind stays away! I will be joined by several other participants who are going on the Malawi trip, and a big thank you to Evans Halshaw who have donated a minibus for the weekend to get us to Edinburgh and back. I’ll write more on Monday and tell you about the trip.

Wish me luck!

Davie

IQA Group Awarded a merit Pass for International Safety Awards

April 2011

IQA Group has been awarded a merit pass for the International Safety Awards 2011. The Company are one of only a few organisations to have reached this level of achievement and are aiming for a distinction next year.

IQA has received this award for the last couple of years and this is the highest rating yet which demonstrates the Company’s dedication to continuous improvement and corporate responsibility. It is also recognition of the focus that all of our staff brings to Health & Safety and we plan to continue improving so that next year we get the distinction.