When Cat Heron crossed the finish line at the Manchester Marathon last month, she wasn't just collecting a medal. She was carrying a small army of Clydebank Brownies with her — every one of them a step closer to getting their beloved countryside retreat back.

The trainee accountant from Duntocher, who volunteers with the 6th Clydebank Guides at the Tower Centre on Melfort Avenue, took on the 26.2-mile challenge in April to help restore the flood-damaged Catterburn Brownie House in Stirlingshire. By the time the cheering had died down, she had raised more than £1,400 for the cause.

"I had a great time running the marathon," Cat said. "The atmosphere was amazing and it was made so much better knowing I was raising funds for Catterburn. It was worth the pain and the long nights of training to finish the run. I'm so excited to see what the funds raised go towards."

A countryside retreat under water

Catterburn Brownie House has been a fixture in the lives of Clydebank Brownies, Guides and Rangers for years — a slice of Stirlingshire countryside where town girls could pitch in, toast marshmallows, and enjoy their first nights away from home. Then, in January 2023, the floods came. The house has been out of use ever since.

For young members who had grown up hearing stories about Catterburn weekends, the closure has been keenly felt. Restoring it has become a quiet, determined mission for the volunteers who run Clydebank's Girlguiding units — and Cat decided to put her trainers where her heart was.

Through sponsorship she raised £1,277, with a further £140 added in Gift Aid, taking her total to just over £1,417. Supporters who would like to nudge that figure higher can still donate via her JustGiving page at justgiving.com/page/cat-heron-1.

'Marathon survivor'

Janice Blair, leader of the 6th Clydebank Guides, said the unit was bursting with pride.

"We are so proud of Cat and this amazing achievement," she said. "It was no mean feat. In fact, she texted our team afterwards saying she was going to put 'marathon survivor' on her CV, which made us all laugh.

"Every step she took brought us closer to our goal of reopening Catterburn Brownie House, and we are so grateful to everyone who donated."

The money will go directly towards restoring the building as a fully accessible, modern outdoor activity centre — one designed to welcome the next generation of Brownies, Guides and Rangers, whatever their needs.

A community in step

Cat's run is the latest in a string of community fundraising efforts in West Dunbartonshire, where local volunteers have spent the past year quietly chipping away at the kind of problems that don't always make the front pages. Catterburn's restoration is a long road, but with each pair of muddy trainers and each JustGiving page, the finish line edges closer.

For the Brownies who'll one day pile off the minibus at a freshly-renovated Catterburn, the story will be a simple one: someone they knew put on a number, ran a very long way, and helped bring their countryside home back to life.

Cat, meanwhile, is already eyeing what comes next — though, by her own admission, perhaps not another 26.2 miles for a little while yet.