A Kiltwalk hero 2021 is looking forward to being back in Edinburgh for the fundraising event that her late husband Kevin found inspiration in while battling incurable cancer.
Sally Robinson, 49, shared with EdinburghLive her excitement and tender memories related to the annual Kiltwalk fundraising event taking place in Edinburgh in September.
The senior customer service manager, who is accustomed to travelling for hours from Staffordshire in England to join the walk, will be once again taking her walking gear out to walk in memory of her late husband Kevin, who had sadly died of a rare form of abdominal cancer last year.
Edinburgh has always had a special place in Sally's heart, as it was the first city her husband and herself went to as a couple and has visited countless times since. And ever since their first Kiltwalk back in 2017, the event, in particular, has a special place in her heart too.
Sally said: "Joining Kiltwalk was my husband's idea. By that time, he bought probably about three or four of the 21st Century Kilts from Howie in Edinburgh. He then saw a tweet from Kilted Yoga featuring a tartan related to the Grassmarket Community Project.
"My husband did research finding out about the project, and because of his interest in kilts, learned about Kiltwalk."
Just like the puzzle pieces come together, it all clicked for Kevin, and he decided to do the Kiltwalk that year in Edinburgh and, through that, support the Grassmarket Community Project, whose values resonate with Kevin's own.
The couple opted in for Wee Wonder walk - a more relaxed Kiltwalk route - as Kevin started his first round of chemotherapy a few months earlier after being diagnosed with a rare form of abdominal cancer.
Since then, the Kiltwalk has become the couple's yearly tradition - and they even did a virtual walk back in September 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic forced the in-person events to shut. Sally said: "We were English people in Wales doing a Kiltwalk for a Scottish charity."
Talking about the Kiltwalk, Sally is sure that despite the primary idea of the event is being fundraising for charities, for her family, it has become something much more fundamental and precious. She said: "As soon as the register went up for the Kiltwalk, it gave Kevin such a focus and purpose.
"I saw another huge benefit of the Kiltwalk, and that was the way it energised my husband - it just gave him a renewed sense of determination. That was remarkable to see."
Sadly, Kevin had passed away in August of 2021, a month before his favourite event came back from a Covid break. That year, Sally did the walk in her late husband's memory, raising for the Grassmarket Community Project almost £3,000. She said: "I'm so pleased that I shared with him before he died that I would do the Kiltwalk in his memory.
"Even though he wasn't there, he knew that I'd make that commitment. Being able to do that in his memory was very important and very special."
This year, Sally will do the Kiltwalk in Kevin's memory again, continuing the family tradition they had once started together. The joy and deep sense of community are what Sally enjoys about the event, she said: "There is no sense of competition, it's just this really lovely unity of spirit. People are all there to have an amazing day, to be walking, knowing that every half a mile they do, they're supporting a charity they chose."
This year - and all the previous years - Sally will be raising money for Grassmarket Community Project, which provides sanctuary and support to people dealing with issues such as homelessness, mental/physical health problems, learning difficulties, poverty, substance misuse, physical abuse and more.
You can contribute to Sally's fundraiser here.
Visit the Kiltwalk's website to learn more about the event.
