University professor cycling length of River Dee and back to support local fundraiser
Dr Mirjam Brady-Van den Bos hopes to raise enough to plant 250 trees
A professor from the University of Aberdeen will be cycling the length of the River Dee and back to help raise money for a local fundraising group.
Dr Mirjam Brady-Van den Bos will be taking on the 264 mile challenge to support the River Dee Trust's goal of planting one million trees along the waterside.
The Trust said the task will be "one of the biggest nature restoration projects ever undertaken in the Cairngorms."
The aim is to restore the temperature of the river, and protect wildlife such as salmon that are struggling to survive in the rising water temperature.
Dr Brady-Van den Bos said: "My love for the River Dee started during lockdown – as an avid swimmer I was devastated when the swimming pools closed.
"I discovered wild swimming and found a perfect spot in the Dee just off Riverside Drive in Aberdeen. Throughout the first lockdown I spent my daily 'outside hour' there, swimming up and down along the bank."
She is hoping to raise £500 for the conservation project, which will cover the costs of planting 250 trees.
Dr Brady-Van den Bos will be stopping in at least eight different locations along the way to swim in the river, including Drumoak, Portarch and Cambus o’May.
“Nature is something I feel strongly about and I am passionate about conserving it as much as we can – it is not just somewhere to visit – it’s our home and the bedrock of our existence," she said.
Her journey will begin on June 30, cycling out to Linn of Dee to set up camp before setting off again the next day.
It is expected to take upwards of six hours each way to complete.
Sandy Bremner, Chair of The River Dee Trust said: "We can’t thank her enough. She embodies the spirit that has turned a nature-restoration project into a campaign that has touched lives across the community.”
You can donate to the fundraiser here.