Thurso cousins raise £11,000 in sponsored walk for Macmillan

TWO cousins from Thurso have raised £11,159 by completing their own sponsored walk after an official charity trek had to be called off.

Donna and Kelly Mackay were due to take part in Macmillan Cancer Support’s Rob Roy Mighty Hike on August 31. However, because of severe weather, the event was cancelled.

Days before the walk was due to take place, Donna and Kelly hosted a race night in support of their trek, raising thousands of pounds.

Donna said: "On the night we raised an incredible £8300 and I would like to thank everyone who donated raffle and auction prizes, and those that helped on the night and came along and showed their support."

Donna’s dad and aunt and Kelly’s uncle had been supported by Macmillan throughout their cancer diagnoses and the women were keen to see out their sponsored pledge to complete a challenge.

"We didn’t want to disappoint our family and friends by not walking and decided to do our own walk instead," Donna explained.

The cousins kept their promise and walked their bespoke 26-mile route from Thurso to Loch More, with a couple of detours to get their miles up, taking eight hours to complete it.

Kelly said: "It was incredible to have the support from our friends and family on the day who dipped in to walk part of the route with us, which made it easier to keep going."

At the finish line, the cousins were greeted by Macmillan Thurso committee members and a bottle of bubbly to congratulate them on their hike.

Local fundraising manager Louise Mackay said: "It was a pleasure to thank Donna and Kelly in person for their hard work and commitment to Macmillan.

"Their fundraising could be used to pay for a Macmillan nurse for one month, providing medical, practical and emotional support for a person living with cancer. It really is thanks to supporters like Donna and Kelly that we are able to provide our vital services."

It really is thanks to supporters like Donna and Kelly that we are able to provide our vital services.

The charity is almost entirely funded by donations and requires vital funds to reach the growing number of people who need help in dealing with the complex physical, financial and emotional impact of a diagnosis.

Anyone interested in staging their own fundraiser for Macmillan can visit www.macmillan.org.uk/yourevent or call 0300 1000 200.

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