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As the countdown to ‘Scumrun 2018’ continues, the search for teams and drivers begins to pick up pace. One man who won’t be missing it is 53-year-old Ian ‘Haggis’ Gatens, a tanker driver from East Kilbride. He’s taken part in every Scumrun event for the past seven years! We caught up with him to find out why he loves it so much and how he’ll be going the extra mile to help fundraise for Action.
The Haggis Bashers: Ian, Kyle & Scott
You were one of the first people to sign up for Scumrun 2018; what do you like so much about it?
Well, this will be my eighth consecutive Scumrun! It’s just such a well organised and fun event that I keep coming back for more. You’ve got the camaraderie, the challenge, the chance to meet and greet everyone involved and of course the reward for all the fundraising effort. What’s not to like?
You really like to get involved with the fundraising side of things don’t you?
Very much so. Obviously it’s great to have a bit of a jolly jaunt across the continent with your mates, but it really brings it home to think that worthy causes get to benefit from the event. We always try and do our bit by visiting local schools and retail outlets, attending birthday parties and even taking people for drives with all proceeds going to the charity. I’m delighted that Action Medical Research will be benefitting next year – we’ll certainly be doing our best to help raise funds for your vital research.
Part of the challenge is finding a car that will survive the five day challenge… have you found yours yet?
I hope to use "Lightning Macsween", our car from 2016. He got us round the course last year which involved driving from Scotland to Kent,then through central France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. After a wild party night in Vienna it was a repeat of the long haul back to central Germany with a campsite party and BBQ. The final day was a casual drive back to Calais for a night crossing and then the drive back home. Six days and 3,500 miles...Dedication is required! If I can find another driver we’ll also be bringing along our new Volvo S60 T5 dressed as "Sheriff" from Disney's ‘Cars’. As a pair we can hopefully raise a lot more money for Action.
Lightning Macsween could be making a comeback for 2018!
So who is currently in your team then?
We have my son Kyle Gatens, 26, who is a garage equipment fitter for Arnold Clark, and Scott Docherty, 34, who is a fellow tanker driver with me at Lewis Tankers. For support on our fundraising efforts we’ll also have Adam, Susan, Julie and Emma. There will be a lot more room if we can find that third driver we may even be able to take others with us, if not ‘Lightning Macsween’ is going to get awful crowded with three on board!
And what’s the dresscode going to be?
It will be Kilts, themed T-shirts and beards and bonnets as usual - we've always dressed in kilts, the ladies love it! If we're successful in getting "The Sherrif" on the team we will have uniformed, kilted sherrifs as drivers. You’ve got to embrace the fancy dress, it just adds to the fun.
OK, you’ve got the car and the uniform… anything else you’ll need?
Well, having taken part in Scumrun for so many years now we’ve compiled a list of what we call ‘essential kit’. A big part of the challenge is that you don’t really know where you’re going to be driving until the last possible minute, so it’s important to be prepared for all occasions! We’ll be bringing: a quality updated Sat Nav, loo roll, good music, money, a credit card, and the all essential ty-wraps & bodge tape. Patience and a good sense of humour are also pretty useful!
And finally, what would you say to anyone who’s never experienced a Scumrun? Why should they sign up?
If you’re a petrol head, like a challenge, mix well with others and have a passion to help our charities do the best they possibly can then you simply need to give it a go. My advice would be to work hard at fundraising in the coming months and then give yourself a well-earnt week of fun driving all over Europe. It's a no brainer.