Sir Tom Hunter thanks effort made by thousands of Scots through virtual Kiltwalk
{"Image ImageDescription": "***For additional pictures please contact Elaine Livingstone on elaine@elainelivingstone.com or 07969 291 725***Media releaseSunday, 29 April 201810,000 SCOTS MAKE A \u00a32M DIFFERENCE AT THE WORLD\u2019S BIGGEST KILTWALK \u2013 THANK YOU SAYS SIR TOM HUNTERFunds raised will receive a 40% boost from The Hunter FoundationA record breaking 10,063 walkers took to the streets of Glasgow today to take part in the biggest ever Royal Bank of Scotland Kiltwalk.  And thanking the Kiltwalkers, Sir Tom Hunter believes there\u2019s even more to come.  \u201cThis goes to the heart of what Scotland is all about \u2013 caring for one another\u201d, he said. \u201cWe live in an incredible country with people who are willing to literally go the extra mile for those who need it most. I am so proud of everyone who took part today. The efforts of every Kiltwalker will make a real, lasting and impactful difference to charities across Scotland supporting thousands of people and the causes they care about. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t stop here. I encourage everyone to follow the lead of those who walked today and sign-up to take part in the Aberdeen Kiltwalk in June, our St Andrews to Dundee walk in August and the final Kiltwalk of the year in Edinburgh in September.\u201dThis year\u2019s Glasgow Kiltwalk was extra special with Doddie Weir, a rugby legend battling motor neurone disease, joined by boxing hero Charlie Flynn and STV\u2019s Sean Batty to gee up walkers at the Glasgow Green starting point. The former Scotland second-row said: \u201cLooking out at a sea of Scots in kilts, ready to walk 23 miles to help others, made me incredibly proud to be Scottish. It was an honour to be asked to wave off this year\u2019s Glasgow Kiltwalk and I enjoyed every minute. Every single walker is raising money for an extremely worthwhile cause, and together, they will make an immediate difference which will be felt across the country. \u201cI\u2019m humbled and incredibly grateful to those that chose to walk for Doddie Weir\u20195 Discretionary Trust and My Name\u20195 Doddie Foundation. The atmosphere was special and I would urge everyone who can to take part in a Royal Bank of Scotland Kiltwalk.\u201dBoxer Charlie Flynn, whose cheeky grin and gold medal winning performance won over the world at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, said: \u201cWhat a buzz. I loved every minute of being at Glasgow Green this morning. From Glasgow 2014 to the 2018 Glasgow Kiltwalk, this city continues to amaze and inspire me with the incredible events it\u2019s able to put on, and the unbelievable spirit of those involved. \u201cPeople really do make Glasgow. Seeing all those smiling walkers in their charity t-shirts, walking to help others really was a sight to behold. I\u2019m still beaming with pride.\u201d The Glasgow Kiltwalk alone is set to raise more than \u00a31.5 million and the 40% top-up from The Hunter Foundation will take that to over \u00a32 million.  Every pound will go to the 600 Scottish charities taking part.  Malcolm Buchanan, chairman of the Royal Bank of Scotland\u2019s Scottish board, added: \u201cWhat an incredible day. We\u2019ve watched as the Kiltwalk has grown. Today was a day to take stock of what everyone involved has managed to achieve in the last few years. It really is incredibly humbling. \u201cWell done to every walker, every volunteer, every supporter and indeed everyone involved in making today the biggest ever Kiltwalk.\u201d Walkers can choose from four Kiltwalks this year. Next is Aberdeen on 3 June followed by St Andrews to Dundee on 19 August and, finally, Edinburgh on 16 September. Each walk has three distances to choose from to suit people of all ages and abilities. Thanks to the generous 40% fundraising boost pledged by Sir Tom and The Hunter Foundation, charities will receive a 140% return for every penny raised by walkers. To sign up for the three remaining Royal Bank of Scotland Kiltwalks this year, visit www.thekiltwalk.co.ukENDSIssued on behalf of the Royal Bank of Scotland Kiltwalk by BIG Partnership. For further information on the Kiltwalk, please contact:  Andrew Ross on kiltwalk@bigpartnership.co.uk or 07710 700 338For additional images and higher-res images please contact elaine@elainelivingstone.com / 07969 291 725Notes to editors: \u2022\tRoyal Bank of Scotland is the headline sponsor of the four events across Scotland once again.\u2022\tArnold Clark is the platinum sponsor and has pledged that one lucky Kiltwalker from each of the four 2018 events will win a brand-new car\u2022\tThe Hunter Foundation and Sir Tom Hunter underwrite all costs and have again generously pledged that 140% of all fundraising at each of the events will go to charity\u2022\tJohnston Carmichael is a gold sponsor for all four events \u2022\tThe Kiltie volunteers and Kiltwalk staff team have once again been kitted out in the best of gear thanks to their Official Uniform Partner for 2018, Trespass\u2022\tSTV Children\u2019s Appeal is the official grant making partner so those who choose to walk for the Kiltwalk itself will raise money that will be distributed through the STV Children\u2019s Appeal\u2022\tWalkers went past Pit stops every three  miles where they were able to grab Tipperary bottled water, Tunnock\u2019s biscuits and Walkers shortbread \u2022\tThe Red Hot Chilli Pipers topped the bill of an afternoon and evening entertainment \u2022\tThe Kiltwalk also welcomed the Scottish Soup company who provided their delicious soup to Kiltwalkers on the day", "Image Make": "Canon", "Image Model": "Canon EOS 5D Mark III", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "240", "Image YResolution": "240", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 6.7 (Macintosh)", "Image DateTime": "2018:04:29 12:42:48", "Image Copyright": "ELAINE LIVINGSTONE", "Image ExifOffset": "216", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "240", "Thumbnail YResolution": "240", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "864", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "15558", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/8000", "EXIF FNumber": "4", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Aperture Priority", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "800", "EXIF SensitivityType": "Recommended Exposure Index", "EXIF RecommendedExposureIndex": "800", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0230", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2018:04:29 07:29:08", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2018:04:29 07:29:08", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "1620723/125000", "EXIF ApertureValue": "4", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "2/3", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "1", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "35", "EXIF SubSecTimeOriginal": "32", "EXIF SubSecTimeDigitized": "32", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF FocalPlaneXResolution": "1600", "EXIF FocalPlaneYResolution": "1600", "EXIF FocalPlaneResolutionUnit": "3", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF BodySerialNumber": "031023001069", "EXIF LensSpecification": "[35, 35, 0/0, 0/0]", "EXIF LensModel": "EF35mm f/1.4L USM", "EXIF LensSerialNumber": "0000000000"}