THOUSANDS of people took part in the Virtual Kiltwalk across Scotland at the weekend.
Walkers took to their feet on streets, parks and hills to raise money for charity.
Among them was the team from the Herald Memorial Garden Campaign Kiltwalk who rose to the challenge and completed their mission to help raise funds for a worthy cause.
After linking up with the Virtual Kiltwalk this year which allowed people to sign up and raise funds for their chosen charities including the garden of remembrance campaign, our Herald team didn’t shy away and got on board.
We joined more than 13,000 people taking part in the Big Virtual Kiltwalk over the weekend in place of what would have been the annual Edinburgh event.
Setting a challenge of completing a distance of 50kms by walking or jogging, we put our best feet forward and took on the task.
Donald Martin, Editor of The Herald and Herald on Sunday, Mark Eadie, Assistant Editor, of The Herald, and Deborah Anderson, Herald memorial garden campaign co-ordinator, remotely walked and jogged. A few blisters and aches and pains later, and we managed to hit our target distance while raising funds to create a memorial garden as a tribute to Scots who have lost their lives to coronavirus.
And whatever we raise will be topped up by 50 per cent by entrepreneur and Kiltwalk supporter Sir Tom Hunter through his Hunter Foundation.
Mr Martin completed the distance of a marathon to clock up 42kms while Ms Anderson and Mr Eadie donned their running gear to complete a 5k jog which saw us smash our 50kms target.
Editor Donald Martin said: “We were delighted to get involved with the Virtual Kiltwalk event and we had no hesitation in entering our own team to help boost funds for The Herald memorial garden campaign. Deborah, Mark and myself were only too happy to be part of this event.
“It was fantastic to see so many people across Scotland taking part in the virtual challenge and posting their messages and pictures on social media. We are very grateful to Sir Tom Hunter and his foundation which will generously top up every penny raised by Kiltwalkers by 50 per cent.”
Herald on Sunday columnist Ally McLaws, one of the Herald team, added: "Covid-19 has devastated so many lives plunging so many families into grief in isolation. A befitting permanent memorial garden of remembrance is a beautiful thing to do and it just needs a little support from all of us”.
So far we have raised more than £22,000 towards our fundraising target of £50,000 to create a fitting memorial. We have set up a dedicated GoFundMe page to help us reach our goal and help us build a memorial as a tribute to every Scot who has died from Covid-19.
The Herald’s vision is to create a memorial peaceful area as a place where families can go to remember their loved ones lost to the pandemic.
Soon after the campaign launched we were offered Pollok Country Park as the location for the memorial by Glasgow City Council leaders.
We have received donations from readers, families and well-wishers as we try to reach our £50,000 target and the campaign was boosted by a £10,000 donation from Glasgow entrepreneur John Watson OBE.
The former printing tycoon said: “I am deeply impressed by the willingness of The Herald to launch a campaign to create a memorial garden and provide a lasting tribute to those we have lost during this unprecedented health emergency.”
To donate to The Herald memorial garden team go to https://edinburghkiltwalk2020.everydayhero.com/uk/the-herald-memorial-garden-team
If you would like to donate to the campaign go to: gofundme.com/herald-garden-of-remembrance. Donations can be posted to The Herald Garden of Remembrance Campaign, Herald & Times, 125 Fullarton Drive, Glasgow G32 8FG. With cheques made payable to The Herald. If you would like to help, send an email to: memorialgarden@theherald.co.uk
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