Cairngorm to Coast Volunteers Information
Cairngorm to Coast with Fred. Olsen Renewables, couldn’t go ahead without the army of volunteers who make the event what it is. As this is a purely charitable event, your time is highly valuable to us and we are incredibly grateful you have chosen to support Outfit Moray.
The main volunteer role for Cairngorm to Coast is as a checkpoint marshal, but we also need help from photographers, bakers, fundraisers and massage therapists to ensure the entrants have the best day they can and enjoy a really positive experience.
On the Day
As this is a charity event, we are not able to pay expenses and are very limited on our transport availability, so you would need to arrange your own transport, or perhaps share with another volunteer. We do try and look after our volunteers as much as possible and there will be hot food and drinks available at Grantown-on-Spey, plus snacks at Lossiemouth High School as well as water. However, we do recommend you take enough food, snacks and drink to see you through the day.
Grantown-on-Spey
Once your role is over, those volunteering near Grantown-on-Spey are welcome to head there and grab some hot food and a drink before 4pm. There are also toilets there and it’s a great opportunity to watch some of the hikers finish their challenge. This checkpoint closes at 4pm.
Windswept Brewing Tap Room
Our finishers love nothing better than a cheering crowd at the finish line, so we encourage all our volunteers to come all to Windswept Brewing, once their role is completed. It’s a great way to end a very busy and enjoyable day. There will be hot drinks available for our volunteers and participants, but there will also be hot food, hot drinks and beer available at Windswept’s Tap Room.
Volunteer Roles
There are a myriad of ways in which you can support Cairngorm to Coast. Please have a look through the following and, if you are interested in getting involved, please complete the volunteer form at the bottom of the page.
Bakers/Chefs
Our participants are partial to a well made flapjack at the checkpoints and our volunteers really do appreciate any treats that come their way after a hard day’s volunteering, so if you are a baker, please do get in touch! Any baking for the day itself will need to be dropped off at the pasta party the night before.
We provide hot food at Grantown-on-Spey and would really appreciate someone who is able to throw together a nice pasta dish and keep it edible for four hours!
Checkpoint Marshals
Checkpoint marshals are by far the largest number of volunteers we need and are responsible for manning a specific checkpoint and keeping track of the participants’ progress along the route. Marshals will be allocated your checkpoint a month ahead of the event and are encourage to visit it and familiarise yourself with the area.
Radios are issued and need to be collected from Outfit Moray on the Friday before, when training will also be given. You will also receive your checkpoint pack, which will have all the information and paperwork you will need for the day.
Remember to pack your smile! It’s the most important thing to the participants and you will be the main source of encouragement and support to keep them going to the end.
Drivers
There’s a lot of driving and running around between checkpoints, particularly between Grantown on Spey and Lossiemouth. Drivers will be required to help transport bags between Grantown and Lossiemouth, or collect entrants that may have retired.
Fundraisers
We need to raise funds to cover the costs of Cairngorm to Coast and ensure 100% of the sponsorship raised by our participants goes to supporting our work with vulnerable and disadvantaged young people. We generally hold a quiz night in December and a store collection during the early part of the year, and anything else we can squeeze in!
Massage Therapist
We provide massage cover at Grantown-on-Spey and Windswept Brewing. Our participants may need help with anything from tired muscles, to cramp or a more severe sports injury, so it’s important our massage therapists are experienced and able to cope with a variety of requirements in a short space of time. It’s also important they have a level of patience to wait around during the quieter spells!
You will need to be able to provide your own table and towels/paper.
Photographers
The more photos we get from the event the better, so we totally appreciate any photographer who gives up their Saturday to capture the participants in action between Cairngorm and Lossiemouth. Discreet watermarks are allowed and all credit will be given on any photos shared on our social media.
If there are any budding film makers out there, we would LOVE a new promotional video that we could use in coming years. Again, all credit will be given and would be happy for any logos to be incorporated in the video.
Have a look on our Facebook page for previous years’ photographs and Outfit Moray’s YouTube channel for videos. We really want to be able to promote our event, whilst showcasing the beautfy of Cairngorm National Park, Speyside and Moray.