Biggest ever Edinburgh Kiltwalk takes over the capital
More than 9,000 people tackled the walk this year raising money for 802 charities
More than 9,000 people have been taking on Edinburgh’s biggest ever annual Kiltwalk, representing 802 Scottish charities.
The tartan clad crowd set off from Holyrood Park, Fisherrow Links, and Victoria Park, all heading for the finish line at Murrayfield.
It was the eighth year of Scotland’s biggest walking event, with many people taking on the challenge for the first time.
Among them was Lauren McGregor, who joined mum Dianne and aunt Yvonne Geddes to help raise money for the Beat eating disorder charity.
The trio are walking in honour of Lauren’s cousin Aimee, who has been battling anorexia for nine years.
The Kiltwalk is just one of the family’s fundraising efforts, with Dianne and Yvonne raising more than £10,000 for the charity by taking on a walk of at least 5k for every day Aimee is in hospital.
Lauren hopes taking part in the event this year will help remove some of the stigma around eating disorders.
She said: “Especially since eating disorders are such a taboo topic in the media, it’s good that people can see us out and about, see the t-shirts that we’re wearing, they can get it spoken about, and hopefully donate to this charity that allows support for families, support for people who are suffering through this to hopefully overcome it, and get more support in the NHS for this illness.”
The 23 year old says she and cousin Aimee have been best friends since “the minute” they were born, and hopes the walk will help bring more attention to the support services on offer.
She added: “With the 5ks, my mum and auntie have now surpassed the one year, so they’ve now been doing it for over 370 days, and I’m sure they’ve now raised over 10 grand.
“One of the amazing things that happened was my cousin really likes Jellycats, and the CEO of Jellycat actually doubled that donation, so that’s further raising awareness of this cause and what these charities can do, and how much support there still is needed for people like this.”
By 9am on Sunday, the fundraising total for the capital’s Kiltwalk was already at £1.3m.
The Hunter Foundation’s Sir Tom Hunter said: “Every year, we continue to grow, which is a double-edged sword as it reflects the increasing number of people in need within our communities.
“But for every person in need, there’s a good person ready to lend a helping hand by taking part in events like Kiltwalk.
“Kiltwalk connects those in need with those who want to help - seamlessly and with a smile.
“Thank you for your Kiltwalk kindness.”