Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh Ice Rink and Camera Obscura and World of Illusions illuminated green on the longest night of the year on Wednesday, December 21, in support of the child protection charity, the NSPCC and its Childline counselling service.
On the same night, people dusted off their walking boots and took part in the charity’s 5k fundraiser in the city. The NSPCC invited families, friends and colleagues to get together for the sponsored walk to raise money to support it and its Childline service this Christmas.
On average, two children a minute contact Childline. The service’s counsellors receive calls about many concerns and issues, including abuse, neglect, self-harm, and anxiety.
Caroline Renton, Supporter Fundraising Manager for NSPCC Scotland, said: “We’re extremely grateful for the support given by Edinburgh Castle and Camera Obscura in helping raise awareness of the NSPCC and its Childline service. It was fantastic to see them illuminated green on Wednesday evening.
“And thank you to all those who joined in and raised money for our Walk for Children. Every pound raised will make a difference and help Childline to be there for children, this Christmas and beyond.”
For anyone that took part in Walk for Children in Edinburgh, please remember to share any photos on social media using #WalkforChildren.
Edinburgh couple Mark Ballard and Heather Stacey completed a week-long Pennine Way walk for the National Deaf Children’s Society on 6 August.
The couple’s adventure started on 30 July, when Mark and Heather set off on a 95-mile walk along the Pennine Way between Horton in Ribblesdale in Yorkshire and Alston in South Tynedale in Cumbria, staying in youth hostels and B&Bs along the way.
A highlight was scaling Cross Fell, which at 2,930 feet is the highest mountain in England outside the Lake District.
The couple have raised over £500 so far for the National Deaf Children’s Society, which supports the UK’s 50,000 deaf children.
Mark is Head of Policy for the National Deaf Children’s Society in Scotland, so has a special connection with the charity. The couple are both huge lovers of the outdoors and devised their challenge to help the charity provide inspiring experiences for deaf children and young people.
Mark and Heather live in Edinburgh with their two teenage children.
Recounting the story of their trek, Mark said:“It was hard work at times, with some steep hill climbs and squelchy bogs, but also some stunning scenery.
“A big part of what kept me going to complete the walk was the support I got from friends and family, who also helped me raise funds for the vital work of the National Deaf Children’s Society.
“I hope this money will enable the National Deaf Children’s Society to support a deaf young person to have a fantastic outdoor adventure like mine.”
Melissa Jones,who supports fundraisers for the National Deaf Children’s Society, said:“I want to say a huge thank you to Mark and Heather for taking on their Pennine challenge for us. It was a lovely idea and we’re so pleased you smashed it, thank you so much.
“The National Deaf Children’s Society is dedicated to supporting the UK’s 50,000 deaf children and their families. The efforts of selfless fundraisers like Mark and Heather will help us to keep on doing our vital work, now and into the future.”
Those wishing to make a donation can still do so by visiting:
Western and Barnetts Mazda employees tackle 14.5 mile walk to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.
First-ever charity walk took over four hours to complete and has raised over £13,500 so far.
Local customers can visit the Scottish dealerships located in Edinburgh and Dundee.
Team members from Western and Barnetts Mazda completed a charity walk on Sunday 12 June to raise vital funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.
Exemplifying Mazda’s ‘challenger spirit’, employees from Western and Barnetts Mazda tackled their first-ever 14.5 mile walk in just over four hours and saw the team travel from one of our Group dealerships in Fife, through historic areas of Dunfermline, across the Forth Road Bridge and finish with a celebratory BBQ picnic at the Western Mazda dealership near Edinburgh.
Helen Burns, Marketing Manager at Western and Barnetts Mazda, said: “We are incredibly proud of our entire team for completing the walk and raising such vital funds for Macmillan. A short while ago, we collectively chose a charity to raise a serious amount of money for and Macmillan Cancer Support is a fantastic choice that is close to so many people’s hearts as cancer is something that sadly affects too many of us and our families.”
Adding, “We set ourselves an impressive target of raising £15,000 for Macmillan which we’re so incredibly close to achieving. By raising over £13,500 already, we’re proud that this money could pay for a Macmillan nurse for over two months which would help people living with cancer and their families receive essential medical, practical and emotional support. We’re grateful for every single donation so far, kind comments and messages of support, from our colleagues, friends and family and business partners.”
Established as a Mazda dealership since 2010, Western and Barnetts Mazda are part of the Eastern Western Motor Group, founded in 1927, which is one of Scotland’s largest privately-owned dealer groups.
To donate or for more information on Western and Barnetts Mazda’s Macmillan walk, visit the Just Giving page here. Alternatively, call Western Mazda on 0131 313 0500 or visit the Luxury Car Village dealership near Edinburgh. You can contact Barnetts Mazda on 01382 665 506 or visit the dealership on Riverside Drive, Dundee.
The MoonWalk Scotlandmade its long-awaited comeback in Edinburgh last night(Sat 11th June).
Women and men wearing brightly coloured bras – many decorated with this year’s “Your Hero” theme – set off from Holyrood Park for this year’s MoonWalk, the first “live” event since 2019.
Those taking part included “Team Holyboobs”, led by Christina McKelvie MSP, who has recently been treated for breast cancer (below).
Over the last 15 years, this iconic night-time event, organised by breast cancer charity Walk the Walk, has raised almost £22 million. The money is granted across Scotland, to help support those living with cancer.
During the pandemic, Walk the Walk gave £20,000 to the charity Cancer Support Scotland, to help fund its online services.
Previous grants have been made to Maggie’s Centres in Glasgow, Forth Valley and Airdrie and to the Breast Cancer Unit at Edinburgh’s West General Hospital.
Funds have also been given to hospitals across Scotland to purchase Scalp Coolers – amazing machines which help many people undergoing chemotherapy to keep their hair.
CHARITY hero Speedo Mick will walk through Scotland in his famous underwear to hand out £250,000 to worthy charities he will meet along the way.
Mick Cullen, 56, has trekked thousands of miles, attended hundreds of football matches and raised more than £650,000 in recent years – all while dressed only in a pair of blue swimming trunks.
And starting on 31st May, the Everton fan will embark upon a new mammoth five-month trek across the UK and Ireland to hand out cash raised from his previous adventures – as well as raising even more.
While in Scotland, he will take in Stornoway, Inverness, Edinburgh and Glasgow, as well as connecting towns and villages.
Mick said: “The reason I’m doing the walk is primarily to give back to the people and the communities who have supported me and the fundraisingI’ve done in the past.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has placed a huge strain on the finances of so many worthy charities, so I’ll do anything I can to help.
“Marcus Rashford’s campaigning has shone a massive light on how difficult life can be for a lot of young people in this country, whether because of a lack of food, money or opportunities.
“Homelessness and disadvantaged young people are two issues very close to my own heart as I’ve been through those struggles and I know how hard it is to come out the other side.
“In my life, I’ve been in some dark, lonely, hopeless places and for me, one the most rewarding parts of my fundraising has been to help people who are facing what I have faced.”
Superfit Mick, who has twice been nominated for a Pride of Britain Award, first hit the headlines in 2014 by swimming the English Channel in just under 16 hours – despite being a novice swimmer.
He turned up to Everton’s next home game in a pair of blue Speedos with ‘Channel Swimmer’ written on his chest, and his famous look was born.
The community hero, from Liverpool, was inspired to take up fundraising after his own battles with alcohol and drug dependency, isolation and homelessness.
In 2017 the football fan walked 700 miles from Everton’s Goodison Park ground to the French city of Lyon, raising funds for Liverpool’s Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
And in 2019 he completed a 1,000-mile walk from John O’Groats to Land’s End and raised half a million pounds, far exceeding his initial target of £100,000.
His newest mission, the ‘Speedo Mick Giving Back Tour’ will start on May 31 and cover 2,000 miles, taking in five capital cities – London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Dublin and Belfast.
Starting from Stornoway, in Scotland’s Western Isles, and ending in Liverpool, the route will cover a string of towns and cities and Mick will walk up to 20 miles per day across five months.
He’ll only be wearing his trademark blue undies, as well as a swimming cap, Everton scarf and a pair of boots.The main goal is to identify good causes in communities that are deserving of some of the funds he has already raised through previous missions, with a focus on underprivileged or homeless young people and mental health initiatives.
However, he also wants to raise more money to donate in future, with the footie fan just £350,000 away from hitting the £1million mark since he began in 2014.
Mick said: “The last year has been very tough for me personally, I’ve struggled with depression and at times it felt like it was never going to end.
“We’d just finished my last walking tour when the country was plunged into lockdown, and it took away my sense of purpose.
“I’m someone who always needs to be doing something and raising money for charity has been such a big part of my life, but that stopped pretty much overnight with lockdown.
“The Giving Back Tour has given me my purpose back after a really tough year and it’s helped me see light at the end of the tunnel.
“It’s a privilege for me to meet people who might need a helping hand and to be able to support them means the world to me.
“We had raised a lot of money in the past and now we want to use that to the best possible effect, by seeking out good causes throughout the country and by helping them after a year in which their finances have been decimated.
“We also want to raise more money if we can as that will help us continue to work with good causes around the UK.”
Mick’s previous walk from John O’Groat’s to Land’s End took three months, from starting in December 2019 to the end in February 2020.Crowds of well-wishers lined streets wherever he went to show their support, and Mick hopes to see more of the same this time around.
And while he can’t wait to get started, there are some aspects of his gruelling mission that he isn’t looking forward to.
Mick added: “I can’t wait to just get out there and go, it’s the best feeling in the world to see people coming out to support me and if I can raise a smile just by walking down the road in my undies, then it’s all worth it.
“I’d be lying if I said there weren’t a few parts of the walk I’m dreading. I’m definitely not looking forward to the blisters, the chafing and the cold weather.
“I’m a 56-year-old man, so my knees will be cracking and shaking the whole way, and so will my hips, my ankles, my back and my neck!
“People always say that I must get used to the cold when I’m walking in my knickers, but you never get used to it – it rattles your bones every time!”
The Speedo Mick Foundation was set up in 2020 and Mick and a board of trustees work on helping good causes in the fields of homelessness and disadvantaged young people.
It aims to work with vulnerable groups to advance education, prevent or relieve poverty and support people facing issues such as ill health or financial hardship.
A team of 25 tenants from Port of Leith Housing Association’s sheltered housing developments are collectively walking 500 miles to raise money for their social activity fund.
Due to the impact of the pandemic, the tenants have not been able to hold their usual summer fayres or coffee mornings to raise funds, so they are trying something a little different this month.
Any donations received will help provide meaningful activities for our sheltered tenants including exercise classes, lunch clubs, outings and more. You may have already heard about our inventive warden call bingo!
The North Coast 500 virtual trek
The virtual trek around the North Coast 500 (NC500) route began on Monday 20 July, with some walkers tackling the challenge outdoors while others are count their steps indoors along the corridors.
A PoLHA spokesperson said: “We will map their journey and share progress and pictures as we travel along the majestic coastline of the stunning highlands of Scotland. Did you know 500 miles equates to one million and fifty six thousand steps? What an amazing achievement this will be for our tenants!
“We would be very grateful if you could support our walkers with this challenge by making a donation. They have a target of £1 for every mile walked – can you help them reach £500?”
The MS Therapy Centre is looking for volunteers this Sunday (22 June) to take part in the Golden Mile Walks.
As part of the Centre’s 30th anniversary, it is looking for each volunteer to raise £30 which will make a difference to all those in the Lothians living with multiple sclerosis.
Nancy Campbell, Operations Manager at the Centre, said: “With a choice of walking one, two or three miles we hope Edinburgh people who may be at a loose end on Sunday and fancy a walk will take part in the Golden Mile Walks and raise much needed funds for us.
“Nearly 2,500 people in the Lothians live with the debilitating condition of MS and our Centre provides a life line for many. We are there for practical and emotional support and only exist because of the generosity of others.”
The Golden Mile Walks take place at 11:30 am at the Edinburgh College Sports Grounds (formerly Civil Service Club), Marine Drive, Silverknowes.
