A WOMAN and her household are collaborating in a sponsored charity stroll for the ninth 12 months in a row in reminiscence of her dad who handed away from most cancers.
Felicity Gillespie, 44, has accomplished the Beatson’s ‘Off the Beatson Monitor’ stroll yearly since her dad Brian McLaughlin requested the household to participate again in 2014 on his seventieth birthday.
Brian handed away in 2015 after a battle with lung most cancers.
Felicity, from Brookfield in Johnstone, mentioned: “Again in 2014 our dad was recognized with lung most cancers and certainly one of his needs was that we participate within the stroll simply to offer again to The Beatson for the care that he obtained throughout his remedy and proper up till his finish of life.
“Giving again and giving your time to charity is absolutely rewarding as nicely, so it makes you’re feeling actually good and hopefully it makes our dad proud that we’re doing that and proceed to do it to this present day as a household.
“I simply love main as much as it and spending time as a household and elevating funds for the Beatson as a result of they actually did do a beautiful job taking care of our dad and caring for him and gave us further time with him.”
Kaelyn Gillespie, Grace Gillespie, Mark Gillespie, Felicity Gillespie, Yvie Gillespie – canines: Molly and Bonnie
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After elevating £10,000 within the first stroll and £34,000 thus far, Felicity will likely be joined by over 30 relations from Paisley, Hamilton, Blantyre and Johnstone within the first reside stroll since earlier than the pandemic.
Certainly one of them is her brother Stephen McLaughlin.
Stephen McLaughlin, his spouse Amanda and their canine Buddy
He mentioned: “As a household we’re unfold throughout Scotland so we solely ever get collectively at birthdays or weddings so it’s one other alternative for us to get collectively and keep in mind my dad.
“We’ve got nieces, nephews, cousins, aunties – each technology of our household comes alongside.
“We’ve obtained 20 nieces and nephews now so there’s plenty of youngsters and there’s plenty of canines, so it actually is a good household day for it.
“Heaps of people that do the stroll have their very own private causes for doing it. You see some heartbreaking tales while you’re strolling about however it’s the sense of delight that everyone has, the willpower that they need to do the stroll, and it’s only a actual sense of neighborhood.
“You’re there with people who find themselves going by the identical factor as you or have been by the identical factor as you, and I feel it’s simply a part of the therapeutic course of as nicely the place you simply really feel a little bit of neighborhood with the those that do the stroll.”
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Over 11,000 individuals in Glasgow have taken half within the 10k through the years, strolling a complete of 70,000 miles.
STV’s Laura Boyd and BBC’s David Farrell will likely be internet hosting the reside occasion, which returns on Sunday, August 28 after two years of digital walks.
Household canines Bonnie, Molly, Roxy and Cyrus
The occasion will begin on the Riverside Museum in Glasgow, going previous the Beatson West of Scotland Most cancers Centre on Nice Western Street, through Kelvingrove Museum and again to the Riverside Museum.
Contributors will obtain a free t-shirt for signing up and a medal on the finish of the stroll.
Maisie McCormick, neighborhood fundraising supervisor at Beatson Most cancers Charity, mentioned: “We’re delighted to lastly be capable to host our first reside Off the Beatson Monitor occasion since 2019.
“We’re so grateful to everybody who took half within the digital walks during the last two years, however we are able to’t wait to see a sea of yellow take to the streets of Glasgow as soon as once more.
“Each single one who indicators up is permitting us to help extra most cancers sufferers and their households through the years to come back, and we can’t thanks sufficient for that.”
To enroll click on right here.
