We were delighted to welcome Ralph Roberts to our headquarters at Kirklands in Bothwell.
Ralph, a former chief executive at NHS Shetland and NHS Borders, is cycling 1,200 miles from Shetland to the Borders, stopping at every health board in Scotland.
In doing so Ralph, who has recently retired, is raising funds for three health charities in Scotland, including Scottish Action for Mental Health (SAMH), while also highlighting the importance of the NHS for our health.
Ralph said: “Having been given the opportunity of a very satisfying career by the NHS, after retiring I wanted to give something back and having done a bit of cycling thought this would be a good way of doing this, while also giving me the opportunity to improve my own health and enjoy the beauty of Scotland.
“I am also keen to raise some funds for charity and am delighted to be doing this in aid of SAMH as well as NHS Borders and NHS Shetland’s charities.
“I know how important it is that we increase our focus on mental health and wellbeing, both from my own challenges with mental wellbeing during my career and how much more we can do as an NHS to support those in our communities who need our services.
“Having worked in NHS Borders and NHS Shetland I am also delighted to be supporting their charities, who do valuable work supporting the local staff to provide even better services, with additional equipment, training and staff support.”
Catriona Wilson, Mass Participation Events Manager, at SAMH said: “We are so grateful to Ralph for taking on this incredible challenge to raise funds and awareness of mental health.
“At SAMH, we know how important physical activity is for our mental health and we run programmes that encourage and support people to live more active lives.
“The funds raised will allow us to continue to support people with mental health problems and mental illness across Scotland.
“I’d like to wish Ralph good luck on his exciting challenge.”
You can learn more about Ralph’s Ride for Health at and donate at https://www.gofundme.com/f/ralphs-ride-to-celebrate-the-nhs-and-support-mental-health
Photo: Ralph (second from the right) is pictured with (left to right) Deputy Chief Executive Colin Lauder, Chair, Martin Hill and Lynne Huckerby, Deputy Director of Acute Services.
