A kind-hearted Aberdeenshire woman has raised vital funds for The Archie Foundation as a thank you for everything the charity has done for her daughter.
Self-employed Sarah Gill, who also works part-time as a waitress, has walked 26 miles around her hometown of Kemnay as part of this year’s Virtual Kiltwalk.
She said: “I’ve been wanting to do the Kiltwalk for years, but I didn’t think I could walk the usual Kiltwalk distance of 26 miles in one go.
“So when it was announced that you could do whatever challenge you wanted over three days, I thought that would be more manageable.
“I walked eight miles on Friday, five miles – because of work – on Saturday and 13 miles on Sunday.
“I walked different routes around the village.”
Support from family during the walk
Sarah’s husband Stuart cycled alongside his wife to support her on Friday.
She added: “He also joined me for the last five miles on Sunday and walked with me.”
Sarah’s eldest child Niamh also walked with her during the weekend.
“Even my family member from Singapore supported me and donated,” said Sarah.
The hairdresser decided to raise funds for The Archie Foundation because her youngest child Bethany, 12, suffers from growth hormone deficiency. The north-east charity supports children who require long-term medical treatment in hospitals in Aberdeen, Inverness and Dundee.
‘I wanted to give back to the charity’
She said: “We’ve been in and out of hospitals every six months for six years now.
“The charity’s been very supportive so I wanted to give back.
“My husband cycled from John o’ Groats to Land’s End a few years ago to raise money for the charity and every time we can raise any funds, The Archie Foundation is our chosen charity.”
Sarah has raised £225 so far. Click here if you wish to support Sarah and her chosen charity.
Sarah said she’d love to take part in next year’s Kiltwalk if it’s a virtual event again.
“If it isn’t, I’ll try to get my health up to a point where I can do it,” said Sarah.
“My family members often take part 10k runs, so I will see if there’s one happening in the next couple of months to see if I can join them.”