Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Walk to help Tom make Tiny Changes
SCOTTISH T V star Tom Urie has revealed it was a Kiltwalk that helped inspire h i m to h i s spectac u la r weight loss.
And although he vowed never to take part in another walk, Tom has been persuaded by pals in Dundee to march for new charity Tiny Changes in the city event next month.
The cause was set up after Scott Hutchison, lead singer of Scottish indie band Frightened Rabbit, took his own life last year.
The charity will benefit from Tom’s big effort as he gets set to pull on his walking boots once again.
He l ost 19 stone through the combination of a gastric bypass and a strict diet which ruled out virtually all sugar.
Tom said: “Before my weight loss I could not walk from one room to another and was virtually housebound.
“But now I have my freedom back and the Glasgow Kiltwalk was one of the reasons I started to lose weight.
“I had a gastric bypass which is permanent and it was life-changing.
“Although I did the Glasgow Kiltwalk a couple of months ago, I did say ‘never again’ until Gus Robb, from Club Tropicana, suggested doing it in Dundee.
“I have been working in Dundee on Saturdays at Duck Slattery’s, singing and putting on a show at night, plus I have been in panto there for the last couple of years at the Gardyne Theatre, so I’m kind of settled.
“We are now getting a Dundee gang together to do the Kiltwalk on August 18. We are raising money for Tiny Changes, which is a charity set up in memory of Scott Hutchison.
“His family set it up specifically for the issues of mental health and suicide.
“It was Gus who suggested it and I thought it would be a great cause to focus on young people.
“Suicide is the biggest killer in men under 50 – it is just horrific.”
Nightclub boss Gus said: “Scott was quite a quiet guy and he is one of the few people I remember because he was such a nice guy.”