A team of oil and gas workers have raised over £10,000 for the Army family by marching 54 miles in 24 hours.

The six-strong team from Serica Energy in Aberdeen joined nearly 1,000 soldiers, veterans, and civilians from across the globe, raising hundreds of thousands of pounds for the Army Benevolent Fund.

This weekend’s Cateran Yomp participants, aged 16 to 79, travelled from as far as the USA, Australia, Germany, Ukraine, Canada, Denmark and the EU to walk side by side on a 24-hour trek across the beautiful hills and glens of the historic Cateran Trail in Perthshire. The event fell just two days after the 80th anniversary of D-Day and also coincided with the charity’s 80th anniversary.

With two members returning for their second year, Team Serica came home with one Bronze (22 miles), three Silvers (36 miles) and two Golds (54 miles) including a second Gold for team captain Scott Wells.

Scott said, “It gives me great satisfaction watching the progression as colleagues sign up, initially with lots of reservations and uncertainties, then throwing themselves into the fundraising and smashing the training walks, gathering momentum in preparation for the big challenge of the Cateran Trail.

When I hear comments afterwards like, “This is by far the hardest thing I’ve done, yet I’m so glad I have done it’ and “I’m loving it, this is so my thing. Glad I signed up” from colleagues who have never tried anything of this scale before, it sums it up for me as a great team builder and another successful Serica Energy charity fundraising event.”

The Army’s National Charity, the Army Benevolent Fund provides a lifetime of support to serving soldiers, former soldiers, and their immediate families when they are in need.

The Cateran Yomp has raised millions of pounds for the charity, with donations funding everything from wheelchair ramps for soldiers’ homes, to respite care and personal recovery plans for injured soldiers returning from the front line. 

In FY 23/24 alone, the charity supported around 75,000 members of the Army Family in 51 countries around the world. The youngest beneficiary was just one day old, with the eldest aged 104.

Starting at 6am on Saturday and ending in the early hours of Sunday morning, the event challenged teams of brave souls to walk 22, 36 or 54 miles in less than 24 hours on the 54-mile route around the foothills of the Cairngorms.

Supported by headline sponsor Babcock International Group, this year’s event was also sponsored by Arnold Clark and Castle Water.  The Cateran Yomp also works with a range of local sponsors who donate gifts in kind for the event, including Gin Bothy.