John Baillie – John o’ Groats final row

Superstar rower, Veteran John Baillie (82), has finished his incredible Land’s End to John o’ Groats rowing challenge in aid of Erskine Veterans Charity.

John, who hails from Inverness, had one final box to tick and that was to travel to John o’ Groats for his final 1,500m row beside the famous signpost.

John has been virtually rowing the length of the Great Britain’s mainland since July this year. His 874-mile journey has seen him raise around £12,500 so far for the new Erskine Veterans Activity Centre (EVAC) in Forres, due to open in December.

So far through the years, John has raised tens of thousands of pounds for Erskine Veterans. His last challenge in 2022, rowing the Atlantic from Labrador to Ardnamurchan alone raised £15k. This was the highest ever raised by a solo challenge event supporter at Erskine, taking his total to just shy of £30k.

 John said: “I am very proud to have completed another exciting challenge for Erskine Veterans Charity in 2024. Rowing from Lands’ End to John o’ Groats commemorated those who sacrificed so much at D-Day, giving their day for our tomorrow. Rowing the length of the UK respected and honoured Veterans from across the country. The challenge was even more gruelling for me, as I had my kidney removed for cancer earlier this year. I do love a challenge though, and as always, our kind supporters recognised this.”

Erskine’s Fundraising and Development Manager (North), Michael Parkes said, “Everyone at Erskine is so proud of John’s phenomenal efforts. He has been working tirelessly the last few months, raising vital funds and awareness for Erskine. Hundreds of people have enjoyed a chat with John at his rows in supermarkets across Highland and Moray. John has been a friendly face and a key part of our fundraising efforts, as Erskine look forward to supporting the Veteran community across Moray and beyond at EVAC in Forres.”

To find out more about Erskine Veterans Charity’s work please visit our website at www.erskine.org.uk, follow on twitter @ErskineCharity via Facebook www.facebook.com/ErskineVeteransCharity or listen to Erskine Veterans Radio at Erskine.org.uk/radio. To donate directly to Erskine, please visit Erskine.org.uk/donate.

Erskine Veterans Charity | Company No. SC174103 | Registered Charity No. SC006609 | The Erskine Home, Erskine Veterans Village, Bishopton, PA7 5PU