OLYMPIC champion Sir Chris Hoy led a charity walk in Edinburgh on Sunday.
The cyclist, who has campaigned extensively to raise awareness for prostate cancer since receiving a stage four diagnosis, joined philanthropist Tom Hunter in leading 8500 Kiltwalk participants out in the capital on Sunday.
Around £1.5 million was raised for 800 charities in Edinburgh, following on from the success of previous walks in Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Dundee. Participants in the Scottish capital raised £95,000 for Hoy’s charity, Tour De 4.
Addressing 4000 “Mighty Walkers”, Hoy said: “I genuinely have been blown away by the support from Sir Tom and the Kiltwalkers. This is the first year that we've done the Tour De 4, and the support we've received and the money we've raised has been astonishing.
“Kiltwalk has been our gold standard to look to and see what our event could be like, because we see what you all do as a community, and it's astonishing.
"Whatever cause it is you're here for, this is a day to celebrate. It's a day to stand up, to remember people, and bring everyone together in a joyful walk.
“The support is going to make a huge difference for us and push us towards the £2.5 million mark, thanks to Sir Tom Hunter and the Hunter Foundation doubling the £95,000 raised by Kiltwalkers.”
The Kiltwalk partnered with The Hunter Foundation, a charity which aims to invest in issues relating to poverty and education, in 2015. Since the partnership began, both organisations have provided a combined £72 million for Scottish charities, as well as an additional £44m from participant's fundraising.
At Holyrood Park, Hunter said: “Edinburgh – you are 8500 strong, and you brilliant Kiltwalkers are going to raise £1.8m this morning for the charities you care about. This is the last Kiltwalk of 2025, and it has been a record-breaking year. While this is great, it shows the need that is there for every charity in Scotland.
“38,000 walkers over four walks this year have raised £8 million, but most importantly, over 1800 different Scottish charities have benefitted from your Kiltwalk kindness, so thank you from the bottom of my heart.
“Every year, Kiltwalkers choose a charity, and this year, Kiltwalkers could choose to walk for Sir Chris Hoy's wonderful Tour de 4, and you Kiltwalkers have raised £95,000 for his charity.”
A total of 350 participants chose to donate to Tour De 4, which was established following the cyclist’s cancer diagnosis. Donations will be split between five charities: Cancer Research UK, Maggie’s, Prostate Cancer UK, Breast Cancer Now, and Macmillan Cancer Support.
