Fifer riding from Wemyss to Warsaw for charity

Steven was inspired after visiting the Polish memorials in Leven. (Pic: George McLuskie)

Steven Mackay (55), a retired police officer, will set off from Wemyss on September 15, travelling through the Netherlands and Germany, before touring through Poland.

While in Poland, Steven will be stopping off in Szczecin, Gdansk, Olsztyn, Warsaw and Torun, with the aim of developing the links between Fife and Poland and raising funds for Age Concern Glenrothes.

To raise funds, he is asking people to guess the mileage covered during the trip, and is offering a range of Polish and Scottish-themed prizes as rewards, including one week on the Isle of Skye, a guided tour of Fife, a bottle of House of Commons whisky donated by Peter Grant MP, and hampers filled with foods from the two countries.

Steven has taken part in three charity rides, and last year travelled to the Black Sea and back, going through 18 countries, raising funds for Sunny Harbour Cat & Kitten Rescue and Five Sisters Zoo.

Steven said he chose to visit Poland because of the historic links between the country and Fife.

“I thought about where I wanted to go, and Wemyss to Warsaw is what came to mind,” he said.

“One of the inspirations was when I visited the Polish memorial in Leven.

“I read about the Silent and Unseen, who were based at Largo House.

“And then I started looking into the historic links between Poland and Scotland.

“We tend to think of people migrating to Fife, but the reality is that we have been migrating to Poland for a long time.

“So, I decided to put something together to recognise these links.”

In Poland, Steven will use his social media accounts to highlight the links between the two nations, in particular the Polish troops who were based in Fife and the Scots who have played a role in Poland’s history.

In Warsaw, he will meet with people from the Silent and Unseen memorial group, some of whom trained at Largo House, and make a presentation.

He’ll then travel to Torun where he aims to create links with Fife, before travelling back to Fife.

Steven said he chose to support Age Concern Scotland because it was a small independent charity.

He said: “It provides day car services for people with dementia and every bit it get assists it.”

If you would like to support Age Concern Glenrothes, visit www.gofundme.com and search for Motorbike Mileage Challenge, or email your mileage guess to [email protected].