Youngsters make far north trek in memory of late uncle
HUGH Mackay was only 10 years old when he tragically died from leukaemia in 1980.
Despite never getting the chance to meet him, his nephew Cameron Mackay has heard so many stories about what a brave and friendly boy he was during his illness.
Together with his three cousins and best friend, the Thurso teenager is determined that his memory lives on and to help other children who suffer from the condition.
The 15-year-old along with cousins Kane Cameron (16), Kai Cameron (15), Korbyn Cameron (13) and best friend Sean Campbell (15) will be taking part in a sponsored walk to raise money for Children with Cancer UK.
Three of the teens took part in a sponsored walk in memory of their uncle last year when they walked 40 miles from Thurso to their grandmother’s house in Skerray raising £1296.
But this year they have decided to up the stakes by almost doubling the distance, by walking 75 miles from Thurso to Durness in just four days.
Cameron, from Rockwell Crescent, said that they were all looking forward to the challenge and were confident they could complete it within the time they’ve set themselves.
He said that they want to do it in memory of their late uncle.
"My father was only five years when he died and has only faint recollections of what we was like, so hearing the stories from my grandmother about our uncle is very important to the whole family," said Cameron.
"Hearing about how brave he was during his illness has inspired us to help children who have also been diagnosed with leukaemia.
"We took part in a similar sort of challenge last year which raised a lot more money than we expected but now we’ve decided to increase the distance and hopefully raise more money too.
The fantastic five will begin their charity walk on August 5 when they will be making overnight stops at Melvich camp site and their grannie’s house in Skerray, where Hugh grew up at.
They have also made a head start to beating last year’s total raising £300 with donations from companies and members of the public.
The lads are also consider doing the walk in fancy dress and will be carrying collection buckets along the route to pick up extra money.
To make a donation or find out more about the challenge, visit their website at www.justgiving.com/boys75walk
