10,000 people take part in Glasgow Kiltwalk

A crowd of more than 10,000 kiltwalk heroes mounted a tartan takeover of Glasgow on Sunday, raising a whopping £3 million for charities across Scotland.
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Every £1 raised receives a generous 50% top up from The Hunter Foundation. With Glasgow walkers raising an impressive £2 million, this total was boosted by Sir Tom Hunter to a mighty £3 million, which will be gifted to 685 Scottish charities.

Including the latest fundraising figures, the event has now raised over £32 million for 2,850 charities since April 2016, six years to the day.

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Sir Tom Hunter said: “I regard the success of Kiltwalk as one of the Foundation’s greatest achievements. It was a joy to see so many of our kiltwalk heroes out in their tartan this morning at Glasgow Green. Their kindness means the world to me and to Scotland’s charities, and I can’t stress enough how much it’s appreciated in these toughest of times.

“After a challenging few years, Scotland’s charities benefit from every donation so Kiltwalkers should be very proud of the difference they have made today.

“This has been a flying start to Kiltwalk 2022 – well done everyone!”

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon joined the kiltwalkers.First Minister Nicola Sturgeon joined the kiltwalkers.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon joined the kiltwalkers.

This year marks the return of Kiltwalks in Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh following the pandemic. A Virtual Kiltwalk Weekend will also be staged following the success of virtual events held during lockdown which proved a lifeline to Scotland’s charities.

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Glasgow walkers began bright and early with an 8.30am start, before tackling three routes of varying difficulty.

The 23-mile Mighty Stride left from Glasgow Green at the same time as the Big Stroll, a 15-mile jaunt which kicked-off in Clydebank. Later, those tackling the three-mile Wee Wander took off from Loch Lomond Shores, with the routes converging to end at the Kiltwalk Village in Balloch.

Famous faces who took to the streets, alongside Sir Tom Hunter, to take part in the Kiltwalk included TV’s Jackie Bird, STV’s Laura Boyd raising funds for the STV Children’s Appeal and River City’s Stephen Purdon – aka Shellsuit Bob.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon took on the Wee Wander to raise funds for Who Cares? Scotland, a national voluntary organisation working with care experienced young people and care leavers.

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Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) have already raised more than £1 million even before adding their Glasgow Kiltwalk fundraising from this weekend. They also boasted the largest number of walkers and hosted a charity pit stop at Clydebank while Action for Children hosted one at Vale of Leven.

Fiona Leslie, senior community and challenge events fundraiser for CHAS, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been part of Scotland's Kiltwalk and would like to say a massive thank you to every walker who took on the challenge for CHAS in our 30th anniversary year. We are blown away by the amount of people who signed up in 2022 and all the funds raised will make a huge difference to the children with life shortening conditions and their families that we support across Scotland and to know this is topped up generously by 50% from Sir Tom Hunter is absolutely incredible.”

Jenny Copeland, founder and CEO of mental health charity Megan’s Space, which she established after her daughter Megan took her own life following years of poor mental health, said: “Every penny donated is spent on support for young people. The traditional services are overwhelmed and the waiting list for support can be too long.

“We endeavour to provide a response and support within days of receiving an enquiry. This would not be possible without a unique fundraising platform like the Glasgow Kiltwalk or Sir Tom Hunter.”

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