A WEST FIFE volunteer has raised almost three times his target for the Foodbank in his Race Against Hunger.

Scott Johnstone, 29, from Hill of Beath, ran the 14.2 miles between Benarty and Dunfermline Foodbanks, stopping at each branch along the way, to raise funds and awareness for the West Fife foodbanks.

His initial goal was to raise £500 but he had to re-evaluate after he surpassed that target. He has now passed his £1,000 goal and raised a whopping £1,420.

"I never thought it would raise anywhere near that amount," he said. "I thought the initial target of £500 was pushing it a bit but to have almost three times that now is unbelievable. The generosity from everyone has been amazing and I can't thank everyone enough.

"Donations to the foodbanks have been lower than usual recently so these donations will help massively. I'm already thinking about doing it again next year and hopefully make it a bigger event so others can take part to try and raise even more money."

The Rosyth volunteer trained hard for the run but hadn't ran the route before completing the challenge on Saturday, April 1.

He told the Press: "The run actually went better than I was expecting. I hadn't run the route before so I wasn't totally sure how it would go and it turned out there weren't too many hills to run up, which is always a bonus. I had a rough plan in place beforehand with what pace I should be running to keep going over the distance but I definitely had an extra boost of energy on the day and ended up finishing quite a bit quicker than I was aiming for. I finished the 14.1 miles in 2 hours 14 minutes.

"The two hardest parts of the run were at the beginning and the end. The hill going up into Lochgelly and then the hill going from Rosyth into Inverkeithing, but I just had to get the head down and push through it.

"I found it quite interesting and also important to be running through the towns and villages that the five foodbanks support. It gave an extra sense of attachment between the run and the foodbanks and makes you think of the impact these donations will make."

Completing the run, though, wasn't easy.

"I felt a few knocks and niggles during the run but I just put them to the back of my mind and with the help of the music I was listening to I was able to zone out a bit until I got to the finish. Walking the dog later that day wasn't easy though!

"I'm really happy that I managed to finish and especially with a better time than I was expecting. It's good to see that the training in the build up paid off. I'll have a few nights off now then get back to a new training plan."

Scott has been blown away by the support he has received. The money he raised will go directly to the five Trussel Trust Foodbanks in West Fife, meaning that the funds donated will go right back into the community.

He added: "I'd just like to say a massive thank you to everyone who donated. It really did give me that extra push on the day. With the cost of living crisis we're going through it's understandable that donations to the foodbanks have been a bit lower than usual recently as everyone is feeling the pinch a bit more, so this boost will be a great help.

"If anyone would like to help the foodbanks going forward then donations are always welcome and the foodbanks are also looking for more volunteers if anyone can spare a few hours here and there, especially Benarty and Cowdenbeath foodbanks. Benarty, Dunfermline and Rosyth are open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, from 4pm to 6pm; and Cowdenbeath and Inverkeithing are open Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4pm to 6pm."

To donate, visit Scott's JustGiving page.