10-years on: a tribute trek for a Buckie boy
Ryan McKay was killed - aged just 22 - but those closest to him are set for a 155 mile walk in his honour.
Last updated 18th Aug 2017
Friends and family will set off on a special walk to mark 10 years since the loss of a dear son, brother, uncle and friend.
Ryan McKay was important to many people in many different ways, and now to honour of Ryan - a decade after he was killed aged 22 in a car crash - those closest to him are setting off in a mammoth 155 mile walk from Wick to his home town of Buckie.
One of those setting off on the trek is Michael Smith - a best friend of Ryan's brother and someone who grew up with the boys in the same area of Buckie.
Michael said: "There was a whole crowd of us around about the same area when we were younger. His brother had thought for a long time about how to mark the occasion - it seemed right to try and raise money for a good cause along the way"
Most of the funds raised are going to MFR Cash for Kids, with a donation also going to the local Buckie Thistle Boys Club as a tribute to Ryan's biggest passion - football.
Michael said: "Ryan was a very keen - and very good footballer - and we also wanted to mark his legacy in football by hopefully getting some money together for some new equipment for the kids at the local boys club"
The walkers will set off from Wick on the 20th of August arriving at Merson's Park, Buckie on the 26th August.
Michael isn't phased by the prospect of both the North Highland weather, or the logistical concerns with organising the walk in the middle of the tourist season:
"That was a bit of a worry and there were a couple of places we couldn't get into. We didn't want to get caught in the middle of nowhere but we found alternatives"
"We've done most of the planning and preparation on our own, just online, with looking at our routes and getting accommodation sorted out - sorting out how much we could walk each day"
"You can never tell with the weather what it's going to be - at the moment it's not looking too good - we'll maybe have some rain the first couple of days, but I'm sure we'll cope fine.
Show your support for the walk at Michael's Just Giving page