Katie's cross-Scotland triathlon triumph

The former Lenzie Academy pupil staged the effort together with five friends, travelling from Fort William to Edinburgh via Inverness, for the Duke of Edinburgh Diamond Challenge - a one-off initiative to mark the diamond anniversary of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme.

Over the course of six days, the group climbed the north face of Ben Nevis, canoed the Great Glen from Fort William to Inverness, and cycled from Inverness to Edinburgh.

Katie and the rest of her group are all DofE Gold Award holders, and all volunteer for the charity as leaders, meaning they are responsible for a group of young people and will lead, inspire and encourage them as they progress through each section of their DofE Award. Katie volunteered at Lenzie Academy after finishing school and also helped to supervise a Bronze DofE expedition at Coltness High School.

Katie said: “I firmly believe that the DofE is the best thing that a young person can do. It had an amazing effect on me, and I’ve seen it have such a major impact on so many young people.

“I enjoy getting to know young people doing their DofE and seeing them flourish as a result”.