A PEEBLES fitness club has raised over £2,500 from a spin-a-thon in aid of a genetic syndrome charity.

The ForeverFit Club aimed to cycle the famous Land's End to John O'Groats to track in virtual miles, on the town's High Street, to raise awareness and money for Fragile X Syndrome (FXS).

FXS is the most common known cause of inherited learning disabilities, characterised by an X chromosome that is susceptible to damage - and usually affecting males more severely than females.

Last Saturday, the fitness club parked eight spin bikes outside the Tontine Hotel and managed to raise an impressive £2,560 for the charity that supports families affected by FXS.

Participants were thrilled when they smashed their target of 874 miles - the distance between the two points - with an overall distance of 1071.9 miles covered.

The challenge ran from 10am to 4pm with the time split into half our slots for each of the participants. Peebles twins Stuart and Matthew McDonald, who live with FXS, got the spin underway and were joined by friends and family throughout the day along with members of ForeverFit and a Tontine staff member covering each slot. 

The donations poured in from an online JustGiving page, a street collection, as well as from the Tontine staff's own tip jar - after they generously donated all their lunchtime tips from that day.

Gillian McDonald, Stuart and Matthew's mother, said: "It was a really fun day and thank you to everyone who took part and who donated money. An extra special thanks to Fiona Blair for organising it, George Blair for ferrying the bikes to and from the Tontine, Emma Musgrave for the matched funding, and Kate and Gordon Innes at the Tontine for allowing us to use the front of the Hotel.

"And last but no means least, thanks to Jo and Dave from ForeverFit for doing what they do best motivating people to work hard and enjoy keeping fit."

Jo Sutherland and Dave Kilgour have run ForeverFit from Calvary Park, since May 2015. They offer a wide range of classes for all levels of fitness and since their beginning, have always been keen to support events within the community.