Ayrshire care workers have completed an emotional West Highland Way trek in memory of their colleague.
Work pals of the late Shona McKinlay took on the treacherous trail spanning 100 miles from Milngavie to Fort William.
Five ladies who worked alongside the ‘bubbly’ mum-of-two took on the gruelling challenge, embarking on East Monday (April 10).
The South Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership workers wanted to honour their pal Shona, 46, who was tragically killed in a crash on the A70 near Ayr last October.
Devastated workmates vowed to put their best foot forward to raise cash for two charities close to Shona’s heart.
And the ladies have smashed their fundraising target of £3,000, with their Go Fund Me page rocketing past £5,000 and counting.
Rosyln Hodge one of the key organisers of the walk, told Ayrshire Live: “It was a hard slog, a lot harder than we expected it to be..
“The first day we were bright and fresh and the weather was good.
“But the terrain was horrendous. The weather hammered us.
"We lost nails going through up a steep part of the trail at Inversnaid at Loch Lommond, we were clinging onto trees .
“We experienced every season in a day, at one point we were walking up a hill during a blizzard, you could barely see 2ft ahead of you.
“Just when we thought we couldn’t take any more that day, the sun came out. It was tough but it was so beautiful, the scenery was breathtaking.
“There was a lot of blisters and a lot of paracetamol needed but it was a great experience.”
Initially eight ladies were set for the trek but one had to pull out due to a family emergency and one had to pull out halfway. One colleague, June, followed the group along the way by car providing much needed support.
And the ladies were also met with an unlikely mascot as they stomped along the iconic trail.
Roslyn explained: “A wee robin appeared everywhere we stopped in the mornings there was a wee robin outside, it joined us.
“They say that when a robin appears, loved ones are near. Knowing that spurred us on.
“We took it that we were being watched over, we had a wee bit of Shona along the way.
“We all had Shona at the forefront of our minds. There was a lot of tears, it was really overwhelming at times.
“We all bonded, we had stories and chats. There was certainly things that happened that Shona would surely be giving us stick for.”
Despite losing a toe nail, and suffering other injuries from the journey, Roslyn and crew have not ruled out returning to the fundraising trail.
Roslyn added: “Now the girls have started saying doing the River Ayr walk or the Great Glen in the future. We definitely got a buzz from it and we’re so thrilled to raise so much in Shona’s name.”
You can donate to Shona's fundraiser here.
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