Generous £10,000 donation puts spring in the step of Peffery Way path team plotting a popular off-road route between Dingwall and Strathpeffer
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THE group behind a trailblazing off-road path set to link two Ross-shire communities has been bowled over by a generous £10,000 donation from a Dingwall-born man now living on the other side of the Atlantic.
The Peffery Way Association has made great progress in the route linking Dingwall and Strathpeffer and was thrilled to rceive the cheque from Ron Walker who was born and raised in the county town before leaving at 17 to live and work in Canada.
Mr Walker, who lives in Edmonton, Alberta and has a family home in British Columbia on the west coast, told the Journal: "I spent my early teens hitch-hiking from Dingwall to Strathpeffer with a friend to play golf. I remember even then the road wasn’t great for young folk to hitch-hike. I am delighted to be in a position to support the continued construction of a safe, off-road alternative, linking Dingwall, Strathpeffer and the communities in between.”
His mother Sheena lived in Maryburgh until her passing in 2019. He was named after his late father, Ron, and has a brother and two sisters living in Ullapool and Edinburgh.
He said: “My mother’s life revolved around Scotland and Ross-shire in particular and I’m sure she would be absolutely delighted that I was able to made this donation to support this community-led project.”
Having followed the development of the Peffery Way for some time, he got in touch via the Peffery Way Association website mid-December keen to hear of progress and construction and funding plans going forward. He confirmed that he wanted to make a personal donation to support the completion of the route.
Nessa Findlay of the PWA said: "Imagine our surprise when in mid-January we received a banker’s draft for an incredible £10,000!
"Ron's donation arrived with us in mid-January on the third anniversary of his mother’s passing."
Born in Dingwall in 1950, he grew up locally and "had a great childhood with many fond memories" which included walking the Evanton road a lot, hiking up the Catsback and cycling the roads in the area."
He left for Canada in 1967 and has spent the past 50 years in the oil and gas industry. Although retired in 2002, he has major investments in a couple of oilfield service companies employing just over a hundred people.
He said of the Peffery Way: "I think it’s a very worthwhile project giving people the opportunity to have a relaxing walk free of traffic worries while enjoying the scenery and fresh air. When the world gets back to some form of normalcy with unrestricted travel my wife and myself hope to visit the area again, our last trip planned to the area was cancelled due to this Covid 19."
