Maggie’s Highland Run the Runway charity event at Inverness Airport raises £56,000
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Revealing the total at Inverness Airport organisers said they hoped an event in 2020 will be even bigger and better.
Maggies’s, one of Scotland’s leading cancer support charities, held its annual fundraising event in August.
Organisers had hoped it might be able to top its huge success of 2018 when it raised £46,000 – but hadn’t in its wildest dreams imagined it would be able to add quite so much to its final total.
Fundraiser Charlotte Boa said: “It is such an exciting fundraising night. You never look at the airport lounge in the same way again.Everyone gathers in there before the walk and there is such a buzz about the whole place.”
Miss Boa (22) explained: “200 people came along to the event at midnight to support our fundraising by running, walking or jog the runway at the airport overnight on Saturday August 23. Everyone who takes part raises money.
“It was amazing that so many people took part and raised so much money for the event. In 2020 we are increasing the numbers of participants to 270 people.”
The event was supported by some of the airports partners such as KLM and Easyjet as well as the airport and its staff.
For one woman it was more than a simple fundraising event, Lorraine Fraser (63) completed the event only a week after her final chemotherapy session for breast cancer.
Ms Fraser, from Forres, said: “Being part of the Run the Runway event was a real milestone for me.
“When I saw it was taking place in August I knew I wanted to be part of it because it was a week after my last chemotherapy session.
“Little did I know that I would go onto be the second-highest fundraiser. My colleagues from Skills Development Scotland came to join me on the night and did the 5k with me.
“It was so good of them to take part.
“If you added up everything we raised as a team it would be a good part of the total raised.”
Ms Fraser continued: “Maggie’s has been really important to me. It is not necessarily about going along to see them because you have huge questions to ask, or that you need counselling, for me it was more about going to have a cup of tea and a chat with other people in the same situation.”
The next Run the Runway event will be held at Inverness Airport on August 21, tickets will be released in March.
