A MUSSELBURGH man is still planning to undertake a paddleboard challenge along the East Lothian coast in aid of a trio of local charities.

Intrepid fundraiser Iain Elder, 62, who has multiple sclerosis (MS), was ready to take the plunge on the Firth of Forth from Prestonpans to North Berwick on a paddleboard which will accommodate his wheelchair.

But his feat was hampered by the weather conditions last Sunday.

Iain was all set for the paddleboard at Prestonpans Boating club but, after a check by the safety boat, it was decided not to go ahead.

He said: “Everything was go but the safety boat went out and it was choppy past the headland and forecast for 20-30-knot headwinds. We would have ended up in Kincardine.”

Iain Elder was all set for his paddleboad challenge, which was postponed due to the weather conditions

He is now planning to repeat his paddleboard attempt next May.

His feat is raising funds for: Leuchie House, a respite centre near North Berwick for people with MS and other long-term conditions; the Tranent-based Walk with Scott Foundation (WWS), which supports local charities and community projects; and Beyond Boundaries East Lothian (BBEL), which provides adventure sports and outdoor activities for people aged 16 and over with disabilities and mental health issues.

Iain, a former Musselburgh Grammar School pupil, now lives in Dunfermline but planned the trip back to his home county for the paddleboard challenge in memory of Alex Henderson, his friend Sandy Henderson’s dad from the Edenhall area of Musselburgh.

He said: “Alex Henderson was my mate’s dad growing up. He always greeted us with a smile and was a lovely guy, as was Sandy’s mum.”

Iain, a former recruitment consultant, was diagnosed with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis in 2009.

He had planned to undertake his paddleboard challenge when he was spending time at Leuchie between September 16 and 26.

He said: “The paddleboard is huge – 17ft x 5ft – and fits a wheelchair and four adults with ease: two from BBEL for safety, one from WWS, one from Leuchie and me.”

Iain added: “These charities do an amazing job helping people in need: Leuchie on the neurological conditions’ front, giving much-needed respite breaks; WWS helping people and other charities in the local community on many fronts; and BBEL, who do amazing work again with people of differing ages and conditions to get out on a bike or get on to the water.

“Just look at what they are doing for me – a wheelchair on a paddleboard – wow!”

Iain said that, although four booked breaks to Leuchie in 2023 were provided by Fife Council, respite funding ceased in December of that year.

He said that Leuchie covered the costs of a break for

him in February as a thank you and another charity had offered to pay for his break this month.

“The effect on my health this year not getting to Leuchie as much has been major,” he said.

“I have been constantly unwell for the first six months of the year. I am missing my acupuncture, physiotherapy treatments, trips out and my mates from Leuchie. They have become like extended family.”

Following his diagnosis, Iain has supported several charities, raising funds for Leuchie House and the Walk With Scott Foundation since 2017.

He undertook a microlight flight in 2018 in aid of Leuchie.

His challenges have also included a skydive in aid of the Anthony Nolan Trust, which helps people with blood cancer and blood disorders.

In 2022, after becoming a granddad, he went white water rafting on the River Tay to mark his 60th birthday and raise funds for Leuchie and the Walk with Scott Foundation.

To support Iain’s paddleboarding challenge, go to justgiving.com/page/iain-elder-1721479779294