IT WAS a regular sight in Glasgow Green as thousands of people donned tartan to take part in the Kiltwalk events.
However, over the past two years organisers adapted and resorted to virtual Kiltwalks with participants coming up with novel ideas to raise money for their chosen charities while Covid restrictions were in place.
Now it's back and on Sunday, April 24, thousands of people will descend on Glasgow Green as they cross the start line for the return of the Kiltwalk.
The first Kiltwalk of the year is being held and for those taking on the full distance it will kick off from Glasgow Green.
Read more: £52,000 boost for Scotland's Covid memorial campaign
Individuals can fundraise for their charity of choice, and all money raised is topped up by 50 per cent thanks to Sir Tom Hunter and The Hunter Foundation.
Taking in a scenic route, walkers will cross the finish line in Balloch and will receive a warm welcome from supporters.
More than 10,000 people have signed up and Sir Tom wished them well.
He said: "The Glasgow Kiltwalk 2022 is finally upon us, and what a fantastic number of sign-ups to kick-off our events this year. I look forward to meeting our wonderful Kiltwalkers at Glasgow Green, along the route and on the shores of Loch Lomond. Good luck everyone.”
Among those taking part is Bearsden teenager Lewis Cramb who is raising money for the RAF Benevolent Fund, the RAF’s leading welfare charity.
The 15-year-old cadet, from 1740 (Clydebank) Squadron Air Cadets, which he joined last year, will take on the Kiltwalk alongside fellow members of his squadron.
The RAF Benevolent Fund supports serving RAF personnel, veterans, and their families, when they need it most. The fund provides financial, emotional and practical assistance to help people live with the dignity and independence they deserve.
Kiltwalk returns to Glasgow Green
Lewis said: “My great uncle served with the RAF for his service to the war effort, but he recently passed away and I wanted to find a way to commemorate what he had done in his life. I’m looking forward to stepping out of my comfort zone to help both myself and the RAF Benevolent Fund.”
A team of 30 eager and ever so slightly nervous people from accountancy and business advisory firm Johnston Carmichael are lacing their boots to take part as the business aims to secure a record 100 walkers in 2022.
Johnston Carmichael has been a gold sponsor of Scotland’s favourite mass participation charity event for six years as part of its commitment to supporting the communities in which its 850 staff and partners live and work.
The business has 13 offices across the UK, including a growing practice in London which is focused on financial services.
With all four Kiltwalks in Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen and Edinburgh returning as physical events this year for the first time following the pandemic, and a Virtual Kiltwalk Weekend taking place in October, the firm has a target of signing up 100 staff and partners to put their best foot forward for charity.
Michael McAllister will be taking part with Raymond Ford and Dale Kelly
First to take on the challenge is a team of 30 walkers from Johnston Carmichael’s Glasgow office, who have registered for the 22.7-mile Mighty Stride. The team – known as the Chartered Akiltants – will be led by tax partner Mark Houston, who is a seasoned Kiltwalker with several events under his belt.
Mr Houston said: “I really am immensely proud to support Kiltwalk. We’ve been sponsors since 2016, when Sir Tom came on board, and we’ve never looked back as a firm. After two years of restrictions, it has been incredibly difficult for charities so it’s fantastic to be able to fundraise and give back to the people who need it most. And on top of that, the Kiltwalk is always a brilliant day out.”
The team also includes a few first-timers. Among them is Michael McAllister, Director and Head of Payroll, who will be fundraising for St. Margaret’s Hospice, which cared for his gran who lost her life to a heart condition in 2006.
“Our family has had a strong connection to the hospice since my gran passed,” he explained. “I saw first-hand the quality and care it provides, and it means a lot to me to support the hospice and ensure that others benefit from the same consideration shown to us.”
The 30-year-old from Glasgow is taking part along with two payroll colleagues. He admits they are “quite competitive” and unsurprisingly for an accountancy firm they have been counting their training mileage to see who can clock up the most steps.
Sir Tom Hunter's foundation, The Hunter Foundation, will top up funds by 50 per cent
They are also competing to become the fastest walker on the day – although Mr McAllister isn’t too confident of taking first place.
He said: “I’m not the biggest walker so I’ve been practising to make sure I don’t keel over before the end. We’re in a competition to see who can walk fastest, but I will be happy to complete it without needing an ambulance or the first aid tent!
“I’m really proud that Johnston Carmichael is a gold sponsor of Kiltwalk and it is brilliant that we are all encouraged to take part. As part of JC’s values, we talk about standing in other’s shoes and there can’t be a better example of how our business does this than our commitment to the Kiltwalk.”
The Herald’s Covid memorial campaign has also linked up with the Kiltwalk and our project was among the many causes which walkers could choose to sign up for.
To sponsor Michael McAllister go to https://glasgow.thekiltwalk.co.uk/fundraising/GlasgowKiltwalk2022-MichaelMcAllister
You can support Lewis Cramb at glasgow.thekiltwalk.co.uk/fundraising/GlasgowKiltwalk2022-LewisCramb.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
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