Debenhams boss takes on cycle challenge!

Caitlin Whyte, 29, is hoping to raise £10,000 for the charity when she takes on the Big Battlefield Bike Ride in France and will be the only Scottish representative from a team of 28 Debenhams colleagues participating from across the UK.

The store manager has been busy fundraising in-store and, with the generous help of Dunfermline shoppers, has already raised £6,000 but hopes to double that by the time the challenge comes along in June.

She told the Press: "Help for Heroes is a charity close to the hearts of many staff in our store.

"A lot of my friends and family have been in the RAF and many of my colleagues have connections to the military and have even been helped by the charity, but there has been a decline in donations.

"Through fundraising, I've visited a recovery centre and it really hit home how precious this charity is to people."

Last weekend, Caitlin cycled 50 miles in-store to keep adding to her total.

"It's also helping me with my training too!" Caitlin added.

"I've not been on a bike for 20 years so it has been a real challenge for me.

"Across Debenhams, we were given a chance to nominate ourselves.

"I was the only Scot to get pulled out of the hat and I signed myself up just three weeks into the job as store manager!"

The Big Battlefield Bike Ride combines military history, camaraderie and pedal power.

In 2020, the Help for Heroes fundraising initiative will be commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Dunkirk evacuation and participants will cycle 70 miles a day, retracing the steps of the brave souls who fought to keep us safe.

"We'll be visiting lots of French towns that I cannot pronounce, taking in every memorial site," Caitlin added.

"It will be interesting to see the route that soldiers travelled during Dunkirk.

"I started training in November and I could tell you many tales of being chased by dogs, chased by a swan and falling off countless times!"

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/caitlin-whyte