Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Group in great spirits as they show national pride
A team from Airdrie-based global drinks business Inver House Distillers raised more than a glass for charity as they displayed plenty of national pride.
The group donned their kilts to take part in a virtual challenge to collect funds for Alzheimer Scotland.
Forty-three eager employees signed up for the annual Kiltwalk in a bid to raise £3000 and collectively walk 373 miles over three days – the distance between the business’ Airdrie headquarters and their most northerly distillery, Old Pulteney in Wick.
The event was a roaring success and the dedicated team smashed their targets by walking a remarkable 1346 miles and raising more than £10,000.
This year Inver House employees voted Alzheimer Scotland to be the business’ charity partner, so all its annual fundraising events will be donated to the “invaluable charity”.
During their individual treks, the team engaged with each other on social media, sharing photos, memories and their personal reasons for undertaking the walk, such as warehouse operative Tony Mckay, who walked an astonishing 63.6 miles over three days in tribute to his uncle Jimmy.
Inver House Distiller’s Eileen Rae, who organised and took part in the walk, told the Advertiser: “Alzheimer Scotland is a charity that is very close to the hearts of my colleagues and I, and our team is incredibly proud to have raised funds for them.
“Several of our team members have friends and family with personal experiences of the disease, which really spurred us on to exceed our targets when the going got tough.”
An Alzheimer Scotland spokesperson added: “I would like to say a huge thank you for Inver House’s amazing £10,000 donation, which we are very grateful for.
“Their generous support of our work is hugely appreciated, especially at such a challenging time.
“We have been truly inspired by their spirit, generosity and dedication to reach out and help families on their journey with dementia.
“As you can imagine, the impact of coronavirus on our dementia community has been devastating. With our physical doors shut, our dedicated teams have adapted and re-imagined our services, accelerating our digital innovations and boosting our 24/7 Dementia Helpline capacity, to give people much needed stability and support as we continue to face this crisis together.
“Inver House’s kind support will make a big difference, helping to safeguard our vital services and ensuring that no one faces dementia alone.”