A young man from Edinburgh has walked thousands of miles in memory of his gran, raising funds in the process for the hospice that cared for her.
Archie MacPhie from Kirkliston has walked the equivalent of Edinburgh to Lapland and back in memory of his granny Sheena, totalling 2732 miles.
The twelve-year-old has raised more than £1400 for Marie Curie, after the hospice cared for his granny during the last two weeks of her life.
Starting the challenge in March, his aim was to only walk the distance of Edinburgh to Lapland (1366 miles), but after clocking up the miles in record speed he decided to walk it again, calling the challenge ‘Leg it to Lapland…and back’.
Archie finished the walk on July 24, the first anniversary of Sheena’s death by crossing rh finishing line at Marie Curie Hospice in Edinburgh. He completed the mammoth fundraiser in just 135 days.
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He said: “During granny’s last few weeks, my mum and I raised money for Fighting Against Cancer Edinburgh. This is a charity close to our hearts. We walked 98 miles around all the places that she loved to visit in Edinburgh, raising over £3000.
“Our challenge last year helped our family and others cope with the sadness. This latest challenge is to mark the first anniversary since we lost granny and raise money for Marie Curie.
“I started this challenge on Mother’s Day and any spare moment I had I would walk. I would get up at 6am before school and get in some miles and whenever we didn’t need to take the car we’d walk. I think my parents thought I would get fed up with walking everywhere, but when I saw the donations coming in from people I couldn’t stop.
“I also decided to mix things up and run instead. I’ve recently been to Holland and Germany and did lots of running when I was there.
“I’ve pretty much used my feet and legs for the past four months, and will continue to do so as I’ve signed up for a run 50k in August for Cancer Research.”
Fiona Bushby, Community Fundraiser, Marie Curie, said: “What a superstar Archie is. To have given his all for the past four months is just so selfless and incredible, and we’re so thankful to him and his supporters for all their efforts. To have finished his challenge on the anniversary of Sheena’s death is incredibly moving, and Marie Curie staff wanted to personally thank him by being at the finishing line.”
“Marie Curie holds a special place in people’s hearts forever. And it’s through fundraisers, like Archie, that we can continue being there for people living with a terminal illness and their loved ones when they need us most.”
Reflecting on his granny, Archie said: “Granny Sheena was the happiest person. She adored me and my younger brother Hamish. Her warmth and loving nature made her the best person to be around. She would often take us on adventures even if these were just to Costco or IKEA. She was the dear wife of Angus MacPhie, our Papa. We loved staying at their house, making pancakes and getting up to no good.
“My granny loved adventures and she loved us all being together so the family being all part of this, is a huge testament to her love. We have been humbled by everyone’s generous care over this past year and we want to express our deepest gratitude for considering a donation. Your support means so much to us and our family and is a wonderful tribute to granny and the Marie Curie team.”
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