Trio of sisters take on The Kiltwalk

A trio of sisters from Scotland have walked the equivalent of nearly a marathon to support their fundraising mum who is being treated for breast cancer.

Calling themselves the Scott’s Sisters, a play on their maiden name, Laura, Lisa, and Lyndsey decided to take part in the fundraising event The Kiltwalk to support their mum, Doris, who is currently undergoing radiotherapy.

Opting for the longer of the two event routes, the women took part in the 21.5 mile Mighty Stride. Starting at the iconic Old Course at St Andrew’s – donning their mini kilts with 3,700 other participants. The route passed through the former airbase Leuchars, then across the Tay Bridge. Before finally finishing at the V&A Dundee where they were met by a welcoming party to celebrate their achievement.

Fundraisng is in the genes

The sisters’ mum has been raising money for breast cancer charities for the last 15 years and raised an amazing total of £25,000. Over the years she has taken part in the iconic night-time MoonWalk, each year having a different bra decorating theme, and the Pink Ribbon Walk.

Laura, 42, said: “My granny died of cancer and that’s when mum and my dad started fundraising for breast cancer charities. It’s something that’s been really important in her life.

“Mum was diagnosed with breast cancer at the start of last year, so she was unable to do anything really physical this year, so me and my sisters thought we’d do it because that’s what she’s always done.”

Doris has a few more sessions of radiotherapy until her treatment is complete and she can hopefully take part in a fundraising walk again.

Kiltwalk is the largest mass participation walking event in Scotland and has seen over 145,000 people taking part in the event since it started in 2016. The events have raised a staggering £42.5 million to date with 3,330 Scottish charities benefitting. All funds raised by participants go directly to their chosen charity making it a popular fundraising event.

In 2023, when the sisters took part, Kiltwalk celebrated its biggest year with record-breaking numbers taking part across the country. A staggering 27,500 Kiltwalkers took part in events in Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh. Raising a total of over £5.1 million for 1,550 Scottish charities.

The Kiltwalk

The walk, on the east of Scotland, took Laura and her sisters five hours and 40 minutes to complete and raised £4,000 for Breast Cancer UK.

Fortunately the route was quite flat. But the women, who all live in and around Dundee, did have to prepare and do some training walks with their pet dogs.

Laura added: “We’ve all got dogs so we normally go out for a few miles each day but we did need to get some longer distances in to train for this!”

“We didn’t really stop for any length of time. It was pretty much constant walking for the duration. But there weren’t too many hills and it was a beautiful day. It wasn’t too hot. It wasn’t too cold. Just absolutely perfect,” Laura added.

The family were waiting when they completed the walk. Afterwards they enjoyed a barbecue together back home and some much earned rest and relaxation.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK. Over 55,000 women and around 400 men a year are diagnosed with the disease in the UK. Yet a quarter of these cases are preventable. Support from amazing fundraisers like Laura and her family helps Breast Cancer UK to prevent the disease through education, scientific research, and policy change.

The family understand the importance of taking steps to prevent breast cancer. They try to look after themselves and keep fit and active. To learn more about easy everyday ways to help reduce your risk, check out our Prevention Hub.

More fundraising planned

The fundraising family have no plans to stop raising vital funds for breast cancer research and prevention. The sisters’ children are keen to take part in future events including the Pretty Muddy. A fundraising 5km muddy obstacle course that sees people climb, crawl and slide their way to help beat cancer.

To take part in a Kiltwalk to raise funds for Breast Cancer UK register on its website here.

Sign up for our fundraising pack for more fundraising ideas.