Leiths Newsletter Issue 20 - Magazine - Page 13
COMMUNITY NEWS
ISSUE 19
Kiltwalk
KILTWALK IS SCOTLAND’S LARGEST MASS PARTICIPATION WALKING EVENT WITH OVER 120,000
PEOPLE TAKING PART SINCE 2016. THE KILTWALK COMMUNITY HAVE RAISED ALMOST
£25 MILLION TO DATE. SIR TOM HUNTER AND THE HUNTER FOUNDATION HAVE TOPPED THIS UP
WITH £12.5 MILLION MEANING A STAGGERING COLLECTIVE £37.5 MILLION HAS BEEN RAISED AND
PAID-OUT TO 3,000 SCOTTISH CHARITIES.
Below, our employees, Cheryl Reid and Coral-Ann Birnie
share their experiences.
ABERDEEN KILTWALK – Cheryl Reid
Group HR Advisor
“I completed the Aberdeen Kiltwalk on 4 June, walking 17.8 miles from the Duthie Park and finishing
in a very sunny Banchory.
This year, a record-breaking 3,500 people stepped out for 400 Scottish charities in the biggest ever
Granite City Kiltwalk to date. This is an amazing and fun event supported by many volunteers and
clapping hands along the way.
I completed my first Kiltwalk the year before in 2022 and registered as soon as I could in 2023 –
I’m keen to enter again in 2024 so watch this space!!”
DUNDEE KILTWALK – Coral-Ann Birnie
Contracts Administrator, Civil Engineering and Surfacing Division
Cheryl Reid
On 20 August myself and my friend Alison Farrell (who previously worked in Payroll at Head Office)
took part in the 20 mile Dundee Kiltwalk to raise money for Maggies, a charity close to both of our
hearts. We were joined by over 2,500 walkers with the temperature sitting between 18 – 21 degrees
the whole day.
We started the walk at St Andrews and as we walked along the main road cars that were passing
honked their horns and waved as we went by giving everyone some encouragement and making
the first few miles really easy. I had a close call at mile 4 where I was suffering from ankle pains
caused by a recurring rugby injury, but the amazing first aiders strapped me up and
I was ready to go again.
For context, 20 miles is the same distance as:
• Leiths HQ > Kintore via AWPR
• Inverness > Achilty
Carol-Anne at the 6 mile mark
• Spean Bridge > Glen昀椀nnan
As the miles were getting longer and longer there was a wonderful sense of community spirit,
everyone was cheering each other on, offering words of encouragement, playing music and the
volunteers met us at every 5 mile mark to wave a bell and congratulate us. Along the way we met
in with several groups of children, some handing out sweets and clapping, others offering us juice
and high 5’s.
Miles 12-14 were the hardest, it was around 1pm, the hottest part of the day and we were walking
on loose gravel making the terrain difficult! But after some grumbles Alison managed to spur me
on to get to the end.
After walking 49,000 steps, and raising £504 for Maggie’s charity, we reached the end in a
respectable 7½ hours. I would say I grossly underestimated this challenge, assuming it would be
just like a ‘stroll in the park’ but, despite the hard work and blisters, I am glad we did it together
and we raised a lot of money for a great charity!
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Carol-Anne (r) with her friend, Alison Farrel
at the finish
