Father-Daughter Take a Leap for the Strathclyde Zipslide
18 September 2026
Last month, nine brave supporters took on a brand-new adventure for MCR Pathways, heading to Strathclyde Country Park for our very first zipslide fundraising event!
A fearless and relentlessly passionate group of colleagues, family members, and trusted adult volunteer mentors stepped out of their comfort zones, soaring 1,000 feet above shimmering waters to raise over £1,100.
Every penny raised helps ensure that young people have a trusted adult in their corner, someone to build their confidence, expand their horizons and support them to realise their full potential.
To find out what it’s really like to take a 1,000-foot leap of faith, we caught up with Laura, an inspirational colleague and volunteer mentor of six years, who smashed the challenge alongside her dad, who is also an MCR Pathways Mentor.
Stepping up to the platform
“I will confess that I’m a bit of a thrill seeker – any activity that involves adrenaline I’m into! I’ve never done a Zipslide before so I knew I had to take on the challenge and give it a go.” Laura said.
Yet, standing on the edge right before the jump was a different story altogether for her. “I’d felt somewhat confident right up until that moment. As soon as I was on the ledge and the operator told me to ‘lift my feet and go’, my feet felt like bricks! I think the key is to not let yourself think about it for too long. I just had to switch my brain off for a second and go for it.”
Colin on the other hand, felt right at home on the edge, noting that he didn’t have any nerves beforehand: “I’ve always enjoyed challenges like this, jumping from the platform is the kind of challenge I enjoy.” As for what was going through his head in those final moments, Colin thought “Did he clip me in properly?”
Soaring 1,000 feet across the loch
Once in the air, the initial nerves thankfully took a turn. “It was scary at first, but then that quickly turned into excitement. The views over the loch were lovely (the weather managed to stay dry!), and it was so nice zipping along towards all the amazing people who came along to cheer us on. All the support from the spectators really made the difference.”
“It was amazing, the whole thing was really fun and I loved the rush of flying down the zipslide. I hadn’t considered that you could spin around as well so I had a full 360 view!”
Colin agreed, describing the experience of soaring across the Strathclyde Country Park as “great” and adding that he got a “real buzz” from the experience. For him, the best moment of the experience was simply “enjoying looking over Strathclyde Park from height.”
A Family Day Out
Taking on the challenge was extra special for the father-daughter duo.
“I was really lucky to have my dad, Colin, join me on that day. When the opportunity to get involved came up for me, I knew it’d be right up his street as well. As mentioned earlier, I am a total thrill seeker, and it’s my dad that I get it from! In our family, my dad and I are the daredevils and my mum and brother are the scaredy cats. He’s a mentor too and works for Scottish Fire and Rescue. He even went to the effort of doing the Zipslide in his full fire kit – which is very heavy!”
Making a Lasting Difference
Reflecting on what the intrepid group achieved, Laura felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. “A genuine sense of pride. I felt a bit nervous about hitting our fundraising target but everyone really smashed it out the (Strathclyde) park. I want to say a huge thank you to all the family, friends, supporters and mentors who donated.”
“I’m really grateful to have had the opportunity to tick something off my bucket list, whilst raising funds and awareness for the incredibly important work that MCR Pathways does. I’ve been a mentor for over 6 years and have seen first-hand the impact it can have on young people. I’m happy knowing that the money we raised will go towards ensuring every young person, regardless of where they are or what their background is, has access to a trusted adult.”
Looking back on what he accomplished, Colin felt it was simply “good to say I have done a zipline challenge,” and that “hopefully it inspires others to mentor.”
For anyone who is on the fence about taking on a challenge like this themselves in support of MCR Pathways, their message was simple: “Please go for it. Every bit of effort is so worthwhile knowing you are raising vital funds that will make a huge difference to young people. Take the leap!” Laura said. Colin added, “Do it, you’ll love it.”
Has Laura and Colin’s leap of faith inspired you to take on a challenge to raise money for MCR Pathways?
There are so many ways to support MCR Pathways!
Head over to mcrpathways.org/support-us/fundraising to discover all of our upcoming fundraising events.
If you have a challenge idea of your own or want to find out more about how you can get involved, get in touch with our team at fundraising@mcrpathways.org
