Scottish cyclist Mark Beaumont is celebrating 20 years as an ambassador for Winning Scotland, a charity he says has “gone far beyond sport”. The milestone comes after Guinness World Records confirmed Beaumont and five others completed the world’s highest marathon on the Ojos del Salado volcano in Chile in February.
Beaumont, who holds the record for cycling round the world in 78 days and 14 hours in 2017, has been an ambassador for the charity since 2007. Over two decades, Winning Scotland has reached 600,000 children and young people in education, social care, sport and employability, partnering with 400 organisations.
Beaumont said the charity teaches young people “responsibilities and consequences” and builds “quiet confidence” for them to make their own decisions. He emphasised the importance of giving young people in Scotland “the self-belief to figure out the best versions of themselves” and not to think “that life is the sum total of what they know”.
In 2008, Beaumont joined Winning Scotland’s Champions in Schools programme, alongside athletes such as Olympic champion Shirley Robertson, rugby legend Gregor Townsend, footballer John Collins, and runner Eilish McColgan. He also supported the Triple Crown fundraiser with Rob Wainwright, where 300 cyclists raised £1.6m for the My Name’s Doddie foundation.
Reflecting on his involvement, Beaumont said the school talks were not just informative but he “learned a lot from it”. He added: “True happiness comes from actually feeling like you are in the driving seat for what you do rather than waiting for the world to notice you. Winning Scotland speaks to all those things.”
