Staffordshire couple beating the odds to bring Kiltwalk fundraising total to over £10,000 for Edinburgh charity

A Staffordshire couple with a love for Edinburgh have beat the odds to take part in this year’s Kiltwalk and hope to bring their fundraising total for a Capital charity to over £10,000
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A Staffordshire couple who have been beating the odds to participate annually in the Kiltwalk are aiming to hit their goal of raising over £10,000 for an Edinburgh charity at this year’s virtual event.

Sally and Kevin Robinson began participating in the Kiltwalk in 2017 after Kevin, 50, was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) which is now sadly terminal. Through the annual event, the duo have been raising funds for Edinburgh charity, the Grassmarket Community over the last four years.

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This year, they aim to raise £2,000 which will be generously topped up 50 per cent by philanthropist Sir Tom Hunter, taking the total they have raised for the charity over the past four years to over £10,000.

The couple have been making visits to Edinburgh together yearly since their first trip together in 1999The couple have been making visits to Edinburgh together yearly since their first trip together in 1999
The couple have been making visits to Edinburgh together yearly since their first trip together in 1999

When the couple met they bonded over a mutual love of the Scottish Capital and even spent their first weekend away together in 1999 in the city. Since then they have felt an affinity with Edinburgh and described it as a place that they feel at home.

“Every opportunity we’ve had to go up to Edinburgh we did,” said Sally, “The Kiltwalk is a combination of everything Kevin loves - wearing a kilt, raising funds and having the chance to do the walk up in Edinburgh.

“The year we started was the year he was diagnosed with his condition and it was one of those things he could really focus on, while contributing to the project as well.”

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The Grassmarket Community Project takes an innovative approach to creating community and providing sanctuary and support to participants, many of whom are amongst the most vulnerable citizens.

Sally praised her husband's determination and the work that the Grassmarket Community Project do for those in the communitySally praised her husband's determination and the work that the Grassmarket Community Project do for those in the community
Sally praised her husband's determination and the work that the Grassmarket Community Project do for those in the community

Through mentoring, social enterprise, training and education in a nurturing environment, the Project develops skills which enable participants to develop to their full potential and move away from cycles of failure.

This year, Kevin is approaching three and a half years of continuous intensive chemotherapy which has caused weight loss and has seen some of his strength deteriorate, and his condition combined with the coronavirus pandemic meant that the couple participating in the Kiltwalk this year was uncertain, however the event has stepped up to organise a virtual Kiltwalk on the weekend of September 11 until 13.

Those who planned on walking and those who wanted to take the opportunity to fundraise are now encouraged to take on a Kiltwalk-inspired challenge in whatever form they choose. For money raised, the Hunter Foundation is topping up funds by 50 per cent.

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Sally added: “We will be two English people in Wales, but Kevin will be in a kilt and we will have the bages, hats, ponchos and blankets and well and truly flying the Kiltwalk flag.

“It is a really remarkable event, there is nothing like it in England, and it’s great that it is still happening this year, despite missing the energy of being with everyone together on the walk but we will encourage each other on the walk.

“Just knowing what the money achieves helps us keep focused. Everyone is going through something and we want to boost people to believe that they can do something they may be worried to do or don’t feel they can. The human spirit is often more powerful than people think.”

Sally added that on one Kiltwalk occasion she was fortunate enough to speak to Sir Tom Hunter about not only the positive charitable effects that the walk has, but the therapeutic effect it has for people like Kevin in similar circumstances.

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Speaking about fundraising for the Grassmarket Community Project she said: “What they do is incredible, last year we got to go to the AGM of the project and see what a difference the funds make and speak to people talking about their experiences with the charity with so many things some people take for granted. It is something very close to us and just thinking what a difference our fundraising will make will get us through anything we experience while in Wales.”

Those wishing to donate to Sally and Kevin’s walk can do so on their Everyday heroes page.

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