Sign up for ARCHIE Marchie to Belladrum
Festival-goers heading to Belladrum in August are being invited to sign up for an ARCHIE Marchie to help develop a new children’s department at Raigmore Hospital.
The annual Tartan Heart Festival near Beauly has set itself the ambitious challenge of raising £50,000 at this year’s event towards the £2 million Highland Children’s Unit Appeal launched by the ARCHIE Foundation in conjunction with The Inverness Courier.
One fundraiser is the ARCHIE Marchie - a sponsored 12 km walk starting from Loch Ness, winding its way up the hill to Abriachan and descending through the forest directly into Belladrum to coincide with the opening of the sellout three-day festival on 6th August.
Joe Gibbs, owner of Belladrum Estate and promoter of its highly-successful, family-friendly festival, is among a new team of prominent local business people spearheading efforts to raise the final £300,000 for the appeal.
"We have restricted participation in the ARCHIE Marchie to only 200 places," he said. "This reduces the impact on the area and ensures a safe and enjoyable day for all participants."
Those signing up will be asked to raise minimum sponsorship of £200 each.
The Proclaimers will be headlining the Thursday night bill on the main stage with The Correspondents, Keston Cobblers Club, Scooty and The Skyhooks and Bite Night also playing on the opening night.
It is the fourth year running the festival has supported the appeal which aims to create a new child-centred and family-focused children’s department.
"ARCHIE is a wonderful charity which does so much for sick children," Mr Gibbs said. "Belladrum has supported the ARCHIE Foundation for the last three years as Belladrum is a family festival with children firmly at the heart of its being.
"We always try to do something different in an effort to raise funds for the appeal."
He recalled, for example, that small bags of coloured powdered paint were sold last year to be thrown for an eyecatching Holi Paint festival - based on an ancient Hindu celebration of love, frolics and colours - during a set by Reef on the Garden Stage.
"The band loved it and the kids loved it," he said. "I not so sure of the parents because of the washing but we raised a lots of money so it was surely worth it!"
Brave volunteers have also raised money by taking part in a Celtic firewalk.
The new children’s unit is set to open its doors in February. It involves the redevelopment and extension of the former ward 11 which was prevously used for respiratory patients.
Phases one and two will include a children’s ward, dedicated assessment unit, daycase unit and educational facilities.
It is proposed that a follow-up third phase, which has still to be designed, will include a paediatric outpatients department and some supporting services.
How to sign up for ARCHIE Marchie:
Registration for the ARCHIE Marchie includes a ticket to the Thursday night of the festival but you must be a Belladrum ticket holder to take part in the walk.
If you already hold a three-day ticket or a Thursday-only ticket (note there is no camping with Thursday-only tickets), please contact Laura Macintosh, ARCHIE Foundation head of fundraising (Highlands and Western Isles) at laura@archiefoundation.org.uk, or call (01463) 888258.
If you hold a two-day ticket, you will be upgraded to a three-day ticket when you register for the ARCHIE Marchie on the website (www.tartanheartfestival.co.uk) but you need to email Laura Macintosh to confirm this.
Those not doing the walk but wanting to support the appeal can text a donation to: "BTHF 55 £5" to 70070. The amount can be replaced with £1, £2 or £10.
