Kilmarnock bus driver runs 600 miles of local bus routes in charity fundraiser

Dylan MacdonaldStagecoach West Scotland

A Stagecoach driver based in Kilmarnock living with a congenital heart condition has physically run over 600 miles across local bus routes to raise £2,000 for charity.

Stuart Burnett-Burt, a Stagecoach West Scotland driver based at Kilmarnock Bus Station, has been running the routes across his local town, throughout Irvine and all the way to Glasgow to raise money for the British Heart Foundation.

Stuart, who was born with a ventricular septal defect (a hole in the heart), initially took up running during his lunch breaks to lose weight.

However, when one of Stuart’s fellow drivers jokingly suggested he should take his exercise a step further and run the bus routes he drives every day he took it as a challenge and in October last year started his fundraising effort.

He started with the service 28 route in Irvine and has since run a total of 17 routes covering over 600 miles. The longest route Stuart completed is the 35 mile service 4 route from Glasgow to Ayr which he took just over 11 hours to complete.

Stuart has raised £1,000 for the British Heart Foundation which has been match funded by his employers at Stagecoach West Scotland doubling the amount to £2,000.

As a charity, The British Heart Foundation funds over £100 million of research each year into all heart and circulatory diseases and what causes them.

Stuart said: “I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who sponsored me during my running challenge and I’m really grateful to Stagecoach for offering to match my fundraising effort.

“The money raised will be able to support the British Heart Foundation with the amazing work they do every day to support people like me across the UK living with a heart condition.”

Fiona Doherty, Managing Director of Stagecoach West Scotland, said: “Everyone at Stagecoach is extremely proud of Stuart for his fundraising efforts, what a fantastic achievement.

“I doubt many people, if any, can say they’ve not only driven a bus on all of Stagecoach’s service routes in Kilmarnock but run them physically as well.

“Great work Stuart and a massive well done for completing a truly unique challenge.”

 

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