< kiltwalk Archives – Mamie Martin Fund

Hazel is a Kiltwalk star!

On Sunday 15th September, MMF supporter, Hazel McIntyre, joined over 9,000 others to walk the Edinburgh Kiltwalk. Hazel chose the toughest option and she walked 20.5 miles (33 kms). What a great achievement! The weather was favourable so raincoats were not needed but neither was sunscreen. 

Hazel walked with two friends who were fundraising for the Salvation Army – an important charity with a very long history. We were delighted to get a good-luck message from The Salvation Army on Facebook during the day. The walkers travelled from Glasgow to Edinburgh by train and Scotrail wished them luck too, on the socials.

Hazel has raised a whopping £800.00. This will go a long way in Malawi. The total costs of supporting an MMF girl at boarding school is £500.00 for a year and Hazel has exceeded that target magnificently. 

Thanks also to the support team who did the socials and helped in practical ways during the day. These Kiltwalks are amazing events – why not consider joining one next year? Here’s a comment from new MMF volunteer, Francesca, to encourage you:

“Being able to experience the Kiltwalk for the first time in Edinburgh is unforgettable. The environment full of motivation and love is inspiring. I have never seen faces so full of determination not only due to the challenge of the walk but of what they achieved for their desired charity/NGO. I am truly grateful to be able to support those competing and can’t wait to join next year.”

Kiltwalking in the rain

On Sunday 30th April, 3,500 people walked in the Glasgow Kitwalk 2023. Among them were Kathleen and Nick, who walked the full 23 miles from Glasgow to Balloch. Captain Violet and her group walked 14.5 miles from Clydebank to Balloch. Toffee, the dog, is too old and stiff for this year’s walk but Simone and her children, Yara (11) and Sa’Ad (13), walked with (Aunty/Captain) Violet and Sud.

In true West of Scotland style, it rained most of the day. Spirits were not dampened, though. There is only so wet you can get. Moira supported the team on her bike, meeting up at pitstops with food, moral support and encouragement. Yara has just come back from her school outdoor-bound week and had sore ankles. These were strapped up by St Andrews First Aid at each pitstop – lots of TLC was administered too and she continued very bravely.

The atmosphere on the Kiltwalks is always great. The fun on the Glasgow one is hard to beat, regardless of the weather. People supported each other, laughed and fooled around and they just ignored the rain. It did clear up just as the MMF team was finishing. That was nice for the photos.

Thanks to those intrepid walkers, to all their supporters and to those who have donated to their fundraising page – there is still time to support them with a wee donation. They have raised enough for a Malawian girl’s fees for three (almost four) years. Wow!

https://www.justgiving.com/team/MMF-Glasgow23

Edinburgh Kiltwalk 18th Sept 2022

Three women who are the MMF Kiltwalk team in Edinburgh

Team Mamie Martin are back at the Kiltwalk and this time it’s a 14 mile walk around Edinburgh. Three amazing women are walking for MMF. Kathleen Sargeant was a member of the Falkirk High School visit to Bandawe Girls’ School (BAGSS) in 2008. She is now a volunteer with MMF. Angela Hoey, is a new friend of Mariot’s and the MMF. Their connection is their daughter and son’s long-term relationship. The three women have plenty of motivation for this challenge. Kathleen still remembers her time in Malawi with the schoolgirls of BAGSS, Mariot has the family connection through her mother Margaret and grandmother, Mamie Martin. Angela is looking forward to the personal challenge, ‘This Sunday is something for me to do something that when I achieve it will make me feel very proud of myself

The team are looking forward to an enjoyable walk, interesting chat to help pass the time, guilt free chocolate consumption, but most of all, another opportunity to raise funds for the work of MMF in Malawi. All money raised will be topped up by the Sir Tom Hunter Foundation. If you’d like to make a donation, click for their team page.

Kiltwalk success

We are so proud of our Glasgow Kiltwalkers. Seven people and Toffee walked 14.37 miles on April 22nd – from Clydebank to Balloch. For most of them, including Toffee the Dog, this was their first Kiltwalk. But it won’t be their last. They are now established ‘Kilties’.

The team raised £1,000.00 in donations and this is being topped up by the Hunter Foundation to bring our total neatly to our target of £1,500.00. This will pay for a girl’s fees at secondary school (boarding) for all of her secondary education (4 years). What a result!

Toffee got a medal and a certificate and really was the star of the show. He did so well, in spite of it being quite warm for a husky on that particular day. Sa’ad was mentioned on social media by his school who were very proud of him and quite rightly too.

The Mamie Martin kiltwalk team

We are delighted to introduce you to the Mamie Martin team in the Glasgow Kitwalk on 24th April. They will walk 14.5 miles from Clydebank to Balloch. They are:

Intrepid leader and Kiltwalk veteran, Mariot Dallas. Mariot has obviously forgotton how sore her feet were after last year’s Kiltwalk!

Angela Drummond is a newbie to the Kiltwalk but a longstanding MMF friend and supporter.

Violet Hejazi, is a steadfast MMF supporter, normally on a bike. Violet, from Syria, is a law student at the University of Stirling and likes a challenge. Her life has already had more challenges than most people will ever encounter but she is up for the Kiltwalk.

With Violet is her sister, Simone, nephew, Sa’ad (11), and niece, Yara (10). They are being lent kilts by SlanjKilts, one of the Kiltwalk sponsors.

Violet is also bringing her friend, Sudhir Ghildiyal, who is a hotelier in Glasgow and his profile pic suggests that he might be handy on a building site too.

We wish them all a fun day. Heidi and Moira will be a mini support team on bikes, to fetch and carry as the walkers need. Watch out on the 24th April for updates all day and training updates before that.

The team page is here, from which you can access each of the fundraising pages. Remember, the Tom Hunter Foundation will top up all donations by 50% again this year. So this is an efficient way to donate a few pounds to girls’ education in Malawi.

Our kiltwalking is off to a great start

The Kiltwalk has become a Scottish institution – people of all ages and levels of fitness don bits of tartan and … walk. In the process, huge amounts of money are raised. One of the important factors is that all fundraising by walkers is topped up by 50% by the Hunter Foundation; this makes a Kiltwalk a really important fundraising opportunity for us, We are all delighted that the Kiltwalk is back in person this year. It is true, however, that those with memories of sore feet might not be so joyous.

The first Kiltwalk of 2022 will be Glasgow to Balloch, with different starting points for the shorter walks. This is the first time that the Mamie Martin Fund has had more than two people in a team. Our Glasgow22 team, ably led by Kiltwalk veteran, Mariot Dallas, will include a Syrian family who are very excited to be involved in this bizarre activity.

Free kilt hire is on offer from Slanj Kilts, one of the Kiltwalk sponsors. Tunnocks is another sponsor and so we hope to see plenty of their products being given away at the pit stops.

Moira and Heidi will be the on-bike support team and will be sending a fortnightly motivational email to the team with hints and tips about training and preparation.

To join the Mamie Martin Team for the Glasgow Kiltwalk, click here.

To support a member of the Mamie Martin Team, click here.

Michelle kiltwalked a marathon

The Kiltwalk went virtual again this Spring. People could choose their own challenge and complete it over the weekend 23 – 25 April. Michelle only learned about the Kiltwalk the week before. When she had checked that she had not misheard (‘so you wear some tartan and walk?’), she went for it, aiming to walk 20 miles around Edinburgh on Saturday 24th. She plotted a route which included Arthur’s Seat, Water of Leith and Cramond and set off from Newhaven.

Her preparation including buying some tartan; if she was to be a kiltwalker, there had to be tartan. She excelled herself in a few days, with tartan leggings and a skirt. Teamed up with an MMF tee-shirt and some Malawi-Scotland chitenjie, she was the picture of a true kiltwalker.

Supported by her sister Heidi and Moira from MMF, both on bikes, Michelle set a pace of 18 minutes a mile and she held that pace all day. We had a few rest and food stops and the occasional ‘tourist’ stop. The team met some other kiltwalkers but not as many as expected.

It was a lovely sunny day but there was a vicious North-Easterly wind which felt hard walking by the sea from Cramond to Granton. However, at Granton, hot tea and home baking was provided by an MMF friend and Michelle turned to the last few miles with renewed energy. It was after the home baking that she decided to go for the full marathon distance of 26.2 miles and she completed 26.3 miles on Newhaven pier as the sun went down. What an achievement!

In the meantime friends and family donated to her fund-raising page. All donations will be topped up by 50% this year by the Tom Hunter Foundation, so Michelle is, at the time of writing, well on the way to raising enough money to support two girls at boarding school in Malawi for a whole year. Double-achievement. Thanks Michelle!