THE GANNET AIR MILES CHALLENGE!

Gannets at RSPB Troup Head in Aberdeenshire have been the focus of attention at Macduff Marine Aquarium for the past two summers, thanks to a collaborative project with the RSPB that beamed live pictures of the gannet colony to the aquarium. Visitors have enjoyed Big Brother- type footage of life in a bustling seabird city and the project has been a huge success – until the camera equipment at Troup Head was vandalised and put out of action at the end of the 2008 season. At the beginning of this year, the aquarium launched an appeal for help raising the money to repair the link in time to see the gannets returning to Troup Head this spring.

The appeal got off to a flying start, with a grant from Scottish Natural Heritage and help from friends at Fugro RovTech and donations from John Smith of MV Heather Sprig, Friends of the Moray Firth Dolphins and Sangs Ltd. However, to reach the target of £5,000, aquarium staff also teamed up with the Princess Royal Sports and Community Trust and got physical with a sponsored event.

Gannets spend the winters in warmer seas off the west coast of Africa and return to Troup Head every year to raise their chicks. That's a mammoth journey of 5,000 miles! Aquarium staff have challenged themselves and others to travel in spirit with the gannets and to run/cycle/walk the distance that the gannets fly, with all participants adding their miles to the total.

Each participant can use the gym equipment for free at Princess Royal Sports and Community Trust, Banff, to cycle/run/walk as far as they can by the end of May 2009. All miles are added to the cumulative total to cover the distance a single gannet travels on its yearly migration.

5,000 miles seems like a long way – but we're confident that, if we can convince schools and community groups to help – we'll get there in no time and have fun raising the money as we go! Macduff Primary School has already accepted the challenge and pupils will be walking some of the distance over the coming weeks. If one single gannet can make the journey each year, how hard can it be?

To add a little incentive to reach the distance, prizes are being offered to those who travel the furthest or raise the most in sponsorship money. As well as annual tickets to the aquarium being up for grabs, local wildlife watching boat tour operator,
North 58 Sea Adventures, are offering the winners powerboat trips to see the gannets at Troup Head in the flesh. The school that raises the most in sponsorship will win a free class visit to the aquarium too.

To get involved with the Gannet Air Miles Challenge, contact us for details and sponsorship forms.

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