Dava Way walk raises £3000 for Pancreatic Cancer UK
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A near-marathon Highland walk has raised thousands of pounds for a cancer charity.
Carol Stewart (59) walked the 23-mile route from Grantown-on-Spey to Forres with her daughter and four of her daughter's friends on Saturday, July 25, and raised more than £3000 for Pancreatic Cancer UK.
Mrs Stewart's husband Alistair (62), with whom she owns fitness centre Curves in Nairn, was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer in April 2019 and was given between 12 and 18 months to live.
Curves has previously raised cash for Pancreatic Cancer UK, but Carol's daughter Gillian Satterthwaite (29) saw the charity was doing a walk called The Big Step Forward and decided to get involved.
The walk was supposed to be virtual and just a couple of miles long, but the team – named Alistair's Army – decided to go the extra mile, or 20, and take on the Dava Way.
Mrs Stewart, who, along with her husband, is a member at Nairn Road Runners, explained: "The idea was a virtual walk, where people all over the United Kingdom walked between one and four miles, wherever they lived, to raise money for the charity.
"We decided that, if we were asking people to donate or sponsor us, we should make it a proper challenge, so that is why we decided to walk the Dava Way.
"We set off from Grantown-on-Spey just before 7am and it took us seven and a half hours to walk to Grant Park – plus a wee stop for lunch and a snack."
The support received on the day was "fantastic", Mrs Stewart said, with tons of support from the community.
She added: "Initially, we aimed to just raise £100 each and so far we have raised £3000 – which is fantastic. People have been really supportive.
"Our support driver Fiona McLachlan, a friend from Nairn Road Runners, dropped us off at the start line and then saw us off before following us along the route to offer water, snacks and moral support.
"We also had friends who arranged to cycle from Forres in with extra water, cake and much needed vaseline.
"We are so thankful to the many people, named and anonymous, who have donated to this vital charity."
Alistair, who himself has been super-fit throughout his life, walked the last stretch with the group.
Mrs Stewart said the fact her husband has been diagnosed with cancer shows it can get anyone.
"Only six months before Alistair took ill, we were on a walking holiday in California where he climbed to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite," she said.
"Him being a member, and past chairman, at Nairn Road Runners and being so fit beforehand stood him in good stead.
"But pancreatic cancer kills three out of four people within the first year and has the lowest survival rate of all cancers."
To support Pancreatic Cancer UK and Mrs Stewart's cause, donate here
