Kiltwalk on the march with Dundee event helping 375 charities with £850k
August 19, 2019
Biggest ever event saw 3,000 walkers take to the streets of Dundee, Fife and Angus
North Fife, Dundee and Angus turned tartan this weekend as 3,000 Kiltwalkers walked from St Andrews to Monfieth for over 300 charities, raising an incredible £850,000.
This was the area’s biggest Kiltwalk to date and every penny of the £600,000 raised by walkers, plus a £250,000 top-up from philanthropist, Sir Tom Hunter, will go to the charities chosen by Dundee’s walkers.
The 2019 Royal Bank of Scotland Dundee Kiltwalk with Arnold Clark set off at 9am from the Old Course at St. Andrews where 1,500 walkers tackled the 25-mile Mighty Stride. They were joined at the 18th fairway by Sir Tom Hunter, Sky Sports “Mr Transfer Deadline” Jim White, Judy Murray OBE, Paralympic tennis champion Gordon Reid MBE, STV Weatherman Sean Batty and Scots soap star Tom Urie.
700 walkers then set off from Tayport on the 11-mile Big Stroll and another 800 completed the six-mile Wee Wander from the iconic V&A. Each walker finished at the Kiltwalk Village in Monifieth.
Kiltwalk CEO Paul Cooney said: “A huge thank you to each and every Kiltwalker for clocking in the miles today. This huge amount of money raised at the Dundee Kiltwalk today will match the total amount raised from all four Kiltwalks three years ago. Kiltwalk is growing and we want to thank everyone who has generously sponsored our walkers today.
“I’d like to thank everyone for their Kiltwalk kindness, including Sir Tom and The Hunter Foundation, for giving Scotland an amazing opportunity for people to raise money for the charities they care about most. Don’t forget you can still walk or donate at the Edinburgh Kiltwalk on September 15!”
Leading out the Mighty Stride was Jennifer Brown, raising money for Brothers In Arms, a charity dedicated to preventing suicide in men, walking in memory of her cousin, Mark. Also leading out the marathon walk was Yvette Anderson, fundraising for the Kevin Christie Fund, which was set up to support the Carnoustie local, who was involved in a freak accident that left him paralysed from the neck down.
Mairi Stewart lead the Big Stroll, raising money for Children’s Cancer & Leukemia Group, a charity that offers support to her daughter, Ruby. Six-year-old Millie Pauley, who lives with a rare illness TUBA 1a, lead out the Wee Wander, along with her mother, Emma.
So far, Kiltwalk has raised £4.5 million for charities across the country, including Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity, STV Children’s Appeal and Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland (SBH Scotland), following events in Glasgow and Aberdeen. The event has also recently been named the fifth biggest mass-participation charity event in the UK.
Walkers were fuelled by supermarket sponsor, ALDI, who provided fruit, water, cereal bars and other snacks at pitstops along the route.
The next and final walk takes place in Edinburgh on 15 September. To sign up, visit www.thekiltwalk.co.uk