Latest news with #WestHighlandWay
Daily Record
4 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Teenagers gearing up for West Highland Way challenge
The Stirlingshire duo's are completing the 96 mile trek to raise money for his rugby team's trip to Sweden, but also for a mental health charity which supports people across Forth Valley. Two Stirlingshire teenagers are in training to Walk the West Highland Way for charity. Daniel Glasgow (15) is fundraising for his Strathendrick rugby under 15s team, based in Fintry, to go to Sweden next year, and he is also fundraising for charity, Action in Mind. His friend Roscoe Dawes (16) is fundraising for his McLaren High World Challenge trip to Eswatini. The teenagers are walking the iconic route this August - and in the lead up are completing various hikes and mountain climbs, kicking off recently with Ben Ledi. Daniel lives in Kippen and attends Stirling High. Mum Ruth said: 'The rugby team are going to Sweden next year for a tour, and the whole team are involved in fundraising. This is one of Daniel's contributions. 'They'll also do things like bag packing at a supermarket and car washing. 'He is also giving half of the funds raised to Action in Mind Stirling. Mental health, as we know, is relevant to everyone and Daniel's life has been impacted at times by the challenges of family members and friends. 'This is true of Roscoe as well. 'Roscoe is raising money to go Eswatini as part of his McLaren High World Challenge trip. 'They will do community engagement work whilst there, as well as developing leadership skills. 'Roscoe and his Dad and brother moved from the Highlands to Thornhill in 2023, after a significant bereavement, so this Eswatini trip is a massive personal challenge and undertaking for Roscoe. 'They are both active people anyway, enjoying sports and the outdoors, but they have taken on more challenging and lengthy activities, by climbing mountains and going hiking to prepare themselves for the endurance required for the West Highland Way. 'Not only is there physical training required, but also mental.' The pair's preparations include climbing Ben Ledi, Ben Lomond and Tarmachan Ridge as well as walking local sections of the West Highland Way and John Muir Trail in the weeks and months leading up to their full West highland Way trek, setting off on July 30. 'They're also learning about Scotland's geography as they learn about the walks and climbs they'll do,' said Ruth, 'for example, the difference between a Munro and a Corbett. The pair have a shared Instagram account - - but individual Go Fund Me pages. To sponsor Daniel visit and to sponsor Roscoe visit
Scotsman
6 days ago
- General
- Scotsman
Commsworld announces new ‘chosen charity' partnership with CHAS
Commsworld has formed a new 'chosen charity' partnership with CHAS (Children's Hospices Across Scotland). Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The year-long partnership was launched at Commsworld's annual company day at its headquarters in Edinburgh, and attended by CHAS Senior Fundraiser Sarah Dannfald and Community Fundraiser Zhenya Dove. CHAS was formed in 1992 and provides Scotland's only hospice services for children and young people with life-shortening conditions. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It runs two dedicated children's hospices in Scotland, Robin House in Balloch, and Rachel House in Kinross. These welcoming spaces offer families the opportunity for respite breaks, with a range of specialist facilities including a hydro pool, art room and fully accessible gardens, providing a peaceful environment for children and their families. Commsworld will matchfund all money raised by staff over the course of the year Beyond the hospices, CHAS provides a comprehensive range of care through its CHAS at Home service, supporting families in their own homes, and in hospitals across the country with dedicated Diana Children's Nurses and outreach teams. CHAS offers emotional and bereavement support, end-of-life care, and dedicated sibling and family support. All services are delivered with care and compassion, tailored to meet the individual needs of each child and family. Commsworld staff kicked off their fundraising activities by taking part in the Glasgow Kiltwalk last month, while a team of four – Carolann Miller from Edinburgh, Kelly Seaman from Cumbernauld, Nicki Shields from Airdrie, and Sam Reymbaut, from Perth – completed a walk of the 96-mile long West Highland Way over the May bank holiday. A group is also planning to walk the Edinburgh Kiltwalk in September. Commsworld Marketing Manager Martina Corr said: 'We are really proud to be supporting CHAS. It is an incredible charity which dedicates itself to providing amazing care and support for children and their families. We hope that through our partnership we can raise as much money as we can – which in line with our chosen charity policy will be matched pound for pound by Commsworld – so they can continue to fund their incredible work.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Zhenya Dove said: 'We are so grateful to Commsworld for choosing CHAS as their charity partner. Every child we care for is facing an unimaginable journey, and thanks to partnerships like this, we can walk alongside them and their families with love, compassion and expert care. This support helps us create moments of joy which will be treasured forever and ensure that no family in Scotland has to face the death of their child alone.'
Daily Record
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Caitlin's joy as she marks 10 full seasons of conducting Lanarkshire Cecilian Orchestra
Founded in 1956 and now a registered charity it took its name from the patron saint of music A music teacher is set to mark 10 full seasons of leading an orchestra that formed in Blantyre almost 70 years ago. Caitlin Hollinger is the conductor of the Lanarkshire Cecilian Orchestra (LCO) . The orchestra founded in 1956 is a registered charity and took its name from Saint Cecilian – the patron saint of music. The orchestra will perform its Spring Concert this Friday. Caitlin, a graduate in violin and conducting from Edinburgh Napier University, works for South Lanarkshire Council as an Instrumental Music Teacher in primary and secondary Schools, specialising in Violin and Voice. She also conducts the South Lanarkshire Schools Choir and is the Musical Director of the Wee Sing Community Choir in East Kilbride. 'I find it hard to believe that I am about to conclude my 10th season,' said Caitlin. 'Time flies when you're having fun, as they say. This is actually my 11th year as Conductor but Covid managed to steal an entire season from us. 'It has been one of the greatest joys of my life to have been at the helm of such an amazing organisation and to watch the orchestra grow and develop, year on year.' The amateur orchestra has grown in numbers so much in recent years that it struggles to find suitable venues to perform its three concerts each year. Caitlin continued: 'In my first season with the LCO, the orchestra was a relatively small ensemble. It's hard to believe now, but we had a cello 'section' of only one player. 'The organisation has grown to almost 60 members and we perform some of the greatest works within the orchestral repertoire. 'I have had so many memorable, musical moments over the last decade. From the fun-filled, family entertainment of our annual Christmas Extravaganzas to the heartfelt, mature performances of our Spring Classical Concerts or the exciting thrills and spills of our themed season finales, each concert brings something new for all of us. Away from music the mum-of-three loves nothing more than spending time with her husband, her sons and the family's two dogs, and loves the outdoors. 'Never make the mistake of asking me about my West Highland Way adventure,' Caitlin said. 'You will be stuck listening to me for hours. My next hiking challenge is The Great Glen Way.' There have been many highlights during the last decade-plus with LCO but one emotional performance tops the lot for Caitlin. 'It is very difficult for me to choose a stand-out performance from the past decade but, if pressed, I would have to choose last season's performance of the Beethoven Violin Concerto with Mark Wilson,' said Caitlin. 'Mark's mum, Sally Wilson, was our leader for many years until her passing in 2020. "Mark's incredible performance of the violin concerto, performed on Sally's violin and accompanied beautifully by the orchestra, is a moment that will stay with me for the rest of my days. The fact that Mark subsequently agreed to take on the role as leader of the orchestra is simply wonderful. 'I have had the privilege of conducting such a wide range of music over the years: towering Classical symphonies and concerti, modern Film and Musical Theatre Scores and even Rock and Pop scores. There really is something for everyone's tastes at an LCO concert. 'It is the friendliest, most welcoming and supportive organisation I have ever been involved with and I truly believe that this is why we have endured, are flourishing and are fast approaching our 70th anniversary. I cannot wait to see what the next decade holds'. Lanarkshire Cecilian Orchestra will perform The Universe and Beyond - Orchestral Concert this Friday, May 30 at Sherbrooke Mosspark Parish Church, 240 Nithsdale Road, Bellahouston, Glasgow G41 5AD *Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here. And did you know Lanarkshire Live had its own app? Download yours for free here.
The Guardian
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The North review – old friends' trek through the Highlands might be the ultimate hiking film
Shot on Scotland's West Highland Way and Cape Wrath Trail and telling the story of two friends who walk those 600km, Bart Schrijver's majestic second feature is perhaps the ultimate hiking film. Measuredly paced to let us fully sink into the experience, it understands the rhythms and mental accommodations of long-distance walking; even in its awareness of how its pair of protagonists position themselves on the trail and when they rest, it acknowledges the need for solitude and locating inner truths that often drives these undertakings. Its revelations and epiphanies arise at their own pace, never forced. Lapsed buddies Chris (Bart Harder) and Lluis (Carles Pulido) are reconnecting, backpacks in tow, after 10 years apart. Dutch and Latino respectively, life has taken them in different directions. Chris, judging by the office calls he frequently fends off, is a hectic modern professional, whose next project is kids with his girlfriend. Lluis, on the other hand, doesn't want them and is, in fact, not sure what he wants; he has ditched his job shooting wedding videos and is now looking to find his creativity. Despite the catch-up time, their basic outdoor stances hint at a more profound divergence: Chris lapping up each new vista, Lluis masochistically trudging on. After 2022's Arctic trek Human Nature, Schrijver is well into his directorial stride. Chris and Lluis often appear as minute figures traversing valleys and crags, and – putting human drama into perspective – what we learn about their lives is measured out in sips of spare, allusive dialogue. The director also resists dealing in too much pathetic fallacy; this foreboding landscape is indifferent to the characters' feelings. Big disclosures – about Lluis's health, or a beach breakdown that hints that Chris isn't as stable as he appears – arrive as suddenly as a wild panorama over a hillcrest. Nor is it certain these moments are transformative in the manner of mainstream drama; there and gone as suddenly as the girl walker who likes screaming into the void, they don't necessarily mean more than anything else in nature. Perhaps the film's innate trajectory means Schrijver doesn't strive as hard as he might in search of a structure. But The North has a kind of purifying and uplifting effect that builds as the hikers approach their destination; a reminder for those interested in cinema going the distance, how the medium – in its commitment, immersion and focus – reaches altitudes TV can't touch. The North is on from 31 May.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Yahoo
A comprehensive guide to Scotland's West Highland Way this spring and summer
The West Highland Way, which runs from Milngavie to Fort William, is one of Scotland's most enchanting walking routes. From breathtaking scenery to stunning wildlife, the popular long-distance hiking trail has it all. If you're looking to explore the great outdoors this summer and spring, here is everything you need to know about the West Highland Way. The West Highland Way is around 96 miles in length. (Image: Getty) The West Highland Way is around 96 miles (154km) in length and generally takes six to eight days to complete, according to Wilderness Scotland. The Alpine Exploratory adds that the route is "not technically difficult" and is suitable for normally fit walkers. However, for short stretches of the walk, parts of the route become rockier and steeper than normal, providing some difficulty for visitors. For those looking to set up a tent at a campsite, there are a number of options available, including Ben Nevis Holiday Park near Fort William and Blackwater Glamping. You can find more campsites at For those looking to spend the night in a hotel or hostel, there are also plenty of options to choose from. Balmaha Bunkhouse on the banks of Loch Lomond and Kingshouse Bunkhouse near Glencoe are among the backpacker options listed by Independent Hostels. King's House Hotel near Glencoe and the Oak Tree Inn by Loch Lomond are also some of the hotel options available to visitors. Find out more on the website. Here are some things to consider when traversing the West Highland Way: Ticks and Lyme Disease: Parasitic insects like ticks are common in much of the West Highlands, with these carrying a number of diseases such as Lyme disease. Preventative measures would include walking in the middle of the path, keeping your arms and legs covered, the use of insect repellent, checking skin and clothes carefully and wearing light-coloured fabrics to more easily spot these pests. Take the right equipment: Ensuring you have the right equipment when completing the route is also key. According to Tiso, walkers should carry sunscreen and lip protection in the summer months, large water bottles (2 litres), appropriate clothes for rainy weather, walking shorts, waterproof hiking boots and sunglasses. Water safety: Along the route, there are large bodies of water, such as Loch Lomond, that can be tempting places to cool off in after hours of walking in the sun. However, visitors can run into trouble in even shallow waters, as the depth changes can be extreme and unexpected. Walkers should take time to read the signage to ensure they are acting safely. Find out more on the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park website. What are the wild camping rules in Scotland and can I use a disposable BBQ? What are the rules and exceptions around the 'right to roam' in Scotland? Here is your comprehensive guide to Scotland's NC500 this spring and summer The West Highland Way Race is one of the "longest established ultra-marathons," according to organisers. The race covers the long-distance trail from Milngavie to Fort William and attracts runners from across Scotland and the world. Entry to the race is limited to 300 runners a year, which helps to preserve the surrounding landscape. Those wanting to volunteer for the 38th edition of the race in June can do so by visiting the West Highland Way Race website.
