A 117-MILE trek for charity saw Fife man Stuart Allan (40) battle gale-force winds, get soaked to the skin, and bask in glorious, warm sunshine as the weather changed drastically during the four days it took him to walk the Fife Coastal Path from Newburgh to Kincardine Bridge.

His hike was part of a Focus on Fife campaign organised by the Scottish Cot Death Trust (SCDT) to raise awareness of cot death and measures which can be taken to help try to reduce the number of babies who die from the condition.

The IT specialist and former Dunfermline High School pupil walked for more than 10 hours each day, stopping at Guardbridge, Elie and Aberdour before tackling the slightly shorter final stage to Kincardine, joined for much of that by brother-in-law Paul Houghton.

Stuart said afterwards, “I have always lived in Fife and wanted to walk the coastal path, so I decided to do it to raise awareness of the Scottish Cot Death Trust charity. It is easy to forget what beautiful scenery we have right on our doorstep so it was an enjoyable, but really tough, four days.” Stuart’s wife, Lynsay (40), also a former Dunfermline High pupil, and the recently appointed executive director of the SCDT, said, “In Scotland, one healthy baby dies suddenly and unexpectedly every nine days.

“For many families the cause of their child’s death will remain unexplained. We want to raise awareness of this because many people think of cot death as something that used to happen years ago but no longer does. Stuart walked for around 11 hours each day wearing a backpack and charity flag and as some of the path was through villages and towns, more people will now know about us: that Scotland has its own cot death charity and that cot death does still happen.” For more information about the SCDT’s work and for safe sleeping advice, visit www.scottishcotdeathtrust.org or call 0141 357 3946. Stuart’s fundraising page is: www.justgiv ing.com/Fife-Coastal-2014.

Pictured are Lynsay and Stuart with Simon Phillips, of the Fife Coast and Countryside Trust, which manages the Fife Coastal Path.