THE streets of Glasgow to Loch Lomond became a sea of tartan today as a record number of Kiltwalk Heroes stepped out to raise millions of pounds for 856 Scottish charities.
The 14,000 walkers lined up to take part in three routes: the 23-mile Mighty Stride, which left from Glasgow Green, the 14-mile Big Stroll from Clydebank, and the three-mile Wee Wander from Lomond Shores to Moss O'Balloch Park.
Today's event is the biggest ever Kiltwalk and it also made history by selling-out in advance for the first time.
Charities came out in force to cheer on the walkers and provided a morale boost at six pit stops along the way, where walkers were given snacks, fruit and soft drinks from supermarket partner Lidl.
Among them was pit stop partner Calum's Cabin, which was founded by the family of Calum Speirs who lost his life to an inoperable brain tumour in 2007 and provides holiday homes for children facing cancer.
Caroline Speirs, chairperson of Calum's Cabin said: "At Calum's Cabin we can’t believe it’s Kiltwalk weekend already.
"It’s one of our favourite weekends of the year, seeing so many supporters for Calum's Cabin and so many other wonderful charities pass and stop at our pit stop.
"The atmosphere is euphoric, knowing that everyone is making such a difference.
"Calum's Cabin have almost 200 walkers this year at Glasgow and it means so much to us that they support so many families who have a child suffering from cancer.
“At present Calum’s Cabin supports 16 families per week, either with a week’s holiday to make special irreplaceable memories or by staying in one of the charity’s flats near hospitals, the difference this fundraising is making is phenomenal.
"Thank you as always to all our walkers, Sir Tom and The Hunter Foundation and everyone at the Kiltwalk."
This year the entry fee for the Mighty Stride and Big Stroll was reduced by 37% from £32 to £20 to make Kiltwalk as accessible as possible amid the cost-of-living crisis.
Sir Tom Hunter said: "Today’s Glasgow Kiltwalk will help 856 different Scottish charities, the biggest in one day.
"The efforts of every one of our 14,000 walkers will make a massive difference to people who need it so much.
"It’s phenomenal. The Kiltwalk community have done us proud.
"At a time when the cost-of-living crisis is taking a terrible toll, it’s important that so many people have come out and walked and donated for the most vulnerable.
"I’d like to thank each and every one for their Kiltwalk kindness."
Every penny raised will go directly to the charities chosen by the walkers plus they can claim Gift Aid which can raise the totals to 125% of everything raised.
Kiltwalk has raised and distributed £37million to more than 3000 charities in the last seven years.
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here