Into The Wild - Vementry Challenge

At the end of July 2020, Kevin Tulloch from Shetland did something quite incredible to raise money for Juvenile Arthritis Research and Macmillan Cancer Support. He spent four days camping on the uninhabited island of Vementry, living off the land by catching fish and sourcing water and firewood. Whilst there he also cleaned up the beaches, bagging up rubbish to be taken away by boat after his challenge was complete.

Kevin's daughter Lita was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis at the age of 3 and Kevin wanted to do something truly unique and amazing. "I wanted to try and raise some money to help with research into this debilitating disease and therefore decided that I would try to fulfil something that I've been wanting to do for years - head to the Isle of Vementry for a few days, camping by myself, minimal supplies, no internet or music and hope that I could get some sponsorship for the challenge."

He says the trip was unforgettable. "I had a great time but it wasn't easy or by any means always great fun! I quickly had to alter my mindset to plan and prioritise what I was doing for the day, making sure I had firewood, water, food or a plan for catching 'food' and to think ahead to the next day for wood and water at least." Despite torrential rain on one of his days on Vementry, and an accident that burned all his kindling, Kevin not only survived the trip but found the trip hugely rewarding.

Before setting off, Kevin had hoped to raise £1,000 to be shared equally between Juvenile Arthritis Research and Macmillan Cancer Support. So far, he has smashed that total, with over £7,000 given to date (including Gift Aid). Of course, Kevin has also managed to raise awareness that children and young people get arthritis, too as news of his challenge has spread far and wide.

We are so grateful to Kevin for all he has done, and to all those who have supported him on this challenge. Juvenile Arthritis Research is committed to finding a cure for JIA and Kevin's amazing achievement will help us hugely in our core aims of advancing medical knowledge towards a cure and raising awareness of the condition.

You can read more and show your support for Kevin here: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/KevinTulloch

He has also shared some more photos of his adventure on a dedicated facebook page.