Secretary Kathleen Ligertwood is saddling up for a 50th birthday with a difference

Instead of a champagne style bash, Kathleen and friend Connie McLaren will cycle more than 400km across Cuba and raise funds for a children’s cancer charity in the process.

The pals hope the five day Cycle Cuba Challenge will raise around £6000 for the CLIC Sargent fund which supports children, young people and their families who are dealing with the trauma of being diagnosed with cancer.

Kathleen, who works for Aberdeen commercial property specialist FG Burnett, will pay £800 toward her own travel costs and hopes to raise an addition £2600 with a series of fund raising events.

She said: “We both wanted to do something different to celebrate our milestone birthdays in 2012 and have taken the plunge with this cycle challenge across Cuba.

“CLIC Sargent supports children and families following the shock of cancer diagnosis and through the long harrowing months of treatment. Having had three very healthy children I cannot imagine how it must feel to be told that your child has this terrible illness.

“Leading up to our birthdays Connie and I are going to be doing some major fundraising to reach the target needed to make this trip and make a contribution to help this worthy cause at the same time.”

Kathleen has already raised £1700 toward her target and has organised a number of events to boost her Cuba Cycle Challenge fund. A Soup and Sweet Lunch at Tarves village hall raised £720 while a “non-birthday party” on October 22 in the Aberdeen Arms, Tarves, will ask for donations in place of presents and a Ladies Night and Psychic Show in Aberdeen on November 11 will boost the fund.

To support Kathleen and CLIC Sargent, donations can be made at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Kathleen.Ligertwood