Kiltwalkers tally up £350k of funding for Aberdeen charities

More than 2,200 people have raised £350,000 for charity by taking part in Aberdeen's biggest ever Kiltwalk.

Walkers taking part in Aberdeen's biggest ever Kiltwalk, Picture: Scotland Kiltwalk/PA Wire

The money raised from the event on Sunday will be shared between 273 local charities.

About 1,300 people took part in the 26-mile Mighty Stride, while 500 set out on the 14-mile Big Stroll and more than 450 enjoyed the five-mile Wee Wander.

Sir Tom Hunter and The Hunter Foundation are adding 40 per cent to everything raised by the walkers, so for every £1 raised, £1.40 goes to charity.

The Aberdeen Kiltwalk alone has raised about £250,000 and the 40 per cent top-up of £100,000 from The Hunter Foundation will take this to £350,000.

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Sir Tom said: “Today was very special and I want to thank each and every Kiltwalker who took part and made this our biggest Kiltwalk in Aberdeen to date.

“There is nothing more inspiring than seeing thousands of walkers in a sea of tartan, encouraging each other to cross the finish line to raise a huge amount of money for the causes they care about.”

The Royal Bank of Scotland Kiltwalk in Glasgow took place in April, with the St Andrews to Dundee Kiltwalk still to come on August 19.

The final one of the year will take place in Edinburgh on September 16.

Sir Tom said: “The Royal Bank of Scotland Kiltwalk highlights how generous Scots are.

“So far this year we have seen 14,800 heroes give up their time to go the extra mile to help others, and with two walks still to go we expect this to get even bigger.

“With £1.7 million already in the bank it’s my absolute pleasure to add 40 per cent to the running total, which at the moment stands at £670,000, making a grand total of £2.4m.

“Can we make the magic £3m this year? With more walkers I’m sure we can.”

Tracy Johnstone, 50, from Kingswells, led the Mighty Stride on Sunday.

She was walking for Aberdeen children’s charity Charlie House, which she founded following her experience with her youngest son Louis, who is severely disabled and requires around-the-clock care.

The Big Stroll was led out by Mags McWilliam from Inverurie and her 17-year-old daughter Jade, who were walking for the British Heart Foundation, while Judith Davis and her five-year-old daughter Hannah from Pitmedden were walking for CHAS.

The Wee Wander was led out by Tracey Milne and her 10-year-old son Alfie, from Peterculter, who were walking for Alfie’s Trust.

Alfie was diagnosed at 18 months with lymphangiomatosis, an extremely rare and incurable disease.

The family set up the Trust to raise funds for research and patient support to help those suffering from the little-known condition.