CHAS celebrates £1 million Kiltwalk fundraising milestone

Children’s Hospices Across Scotland is celebrating after reaching the milestone of fundraising £1 million with the Kiltwalk.

The charity, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, marked the occasion by hosting a celebration in the gardens at Robin House children’s hospice’s garden in Balloch where they were joined by Kiltwalk representatives as well as a CHAS family from Erskine.

Claire and Paul Moir and their family and friends have been doing the Kiltwalk every year for the last 11 years in memory of their son Aidan, who sadly died in 2012, aged just ten.

Aidan suffered from Late Infantile Batten’s Disease, a degenerative neurological condition which slowly robbed him of the ability to walk, talk, see, eat or even hold himself up.

During his short life, Aidan touched the hearts of many and, to date, ‘Team Aidan’ has raised more than £25,000 for Robin House, where Aidan received vital care from the age of five.

Claire said: “We are proud to have been invited along to join this special celebration of CHAS raising £1 million through the Kiltwalk. It’s an event which means so much to us all as a family as every year we are proud to put on our Team Aidan t-shirts and walk in his memory.

“Robin House and CHAS have been there for us every step of the way and helped us make so many amazing memories.

Paul added: “The t-shirts we wear have Aidan’s face on them so he really is with us every step of the way and we always see his cheeky wee smile. If any of us are struggling to carry on the walk, we just look at his face and think Aidan went through so much in his short life so we can do this for him.”

CHAS Senior Community and Challenge Events Fundraiser, Fiona Leslie said: “We are thrilled to have reached this incredible fundraising milestone in the same year that CHAS celebrates its 30th anniversary. The Kiltwalk helps so many causes all over Scotland and we are proud to continue to work in partnership with this fantastic charity. We are also grateful to Claire, Paul and all of Team Aidan for helping to raise such an incredible amount over the years in Aidan’s memory.”

This year’s Kiltwalk, takes place on Sunday 24 April and will see all money raised topped up by 50 per cent thanks to the generosity of Scottish philanthropist Sir Tom Hunter and The Hunter Foundation.

From Glasgow Green, the route goes all the way to Balloch, on the shores of Loch Lomond and participants can chose to do the Mighty Stroll (22.6 miles), the Big Stroll (14.5 miles) and the Wee Wander (3-5 miles).

Congratulating everyone at CHAS, Kiltwalk CEO Paul Cooney said: “CHAS is a magnificent charity doing truly wonderful work. They were there right at the start of Kiltwalk and it's very special to see them reach the £1 million mark.

“The Kiltwalk community exists to support Scottish Charities of all sizes and help them to continue offering vital services. We know the funds raised by CHAS and topped-up by The Hunter Foundation have made a significant difference to young people with life-shortening conditions. We are very proud to support CHAS and look forward to welcoming their amazing fundraisers at the Glasgow Kiltwalk on April 24."

All the money raised through sponsorship and donations for CHAS through the Kiltwalk will help support families across Scotland by providing vital care and invaluable experiences to help keep the joy alive for many children with life shortening illnesses and their families across Scotland.

For more info on how to join Team CHAS at the Glasgow Kiltwalk visit https://www.chas.org.uk/events/glasgow-kiltwalk