A group of determined fundraisers have pushed through the pandemic to raise more than £11,000 for a cancer charity with the help of The View musician Kyle Falconer.
The 10 women, all affected by cancer, are backing the Maggie’s Dundee support centre based at Ninewells Hospital.
They hope to raise a total of £50,000 in a gruelling high-altitude trek in South America called Rock Peru for Maggie’s.
And that target has now been given a further boost by Dundee-native Kyle.
The singer, whose sister’s best friend is involved, has raised £1,700 in the space of a month after running 300km in 30 days.
The team thanked Kyle, a dad-of-two, at a socially-distanced event this week at Broughty Castle where was gifted a Rock Peru teddy bear mascot.
The trek will take the women to Peru to attempt the three-day Lares trek in Cusco to Machu Pichu.
Organiser Debbie Long recovered from bowel cancer after a devastating diagnosis in 2018.
The 48-year-old has spearheaded the effort and says is thrilled such a famous face has supported them.
“Music was such a huge part of my journey in my fight against cancer,” she said.
“To get Kyle on board and for him to raise so much is amazing. It is a great link.”
Fundraising for Maggie’s centres, along with many other causes, has more or less dried up amid by the pandemic.
The team were originally meant to fly out this year but the adventure has been delayed until August 2021 at the earliest.
Of the £11,500 raised, £4,500 has already been donated to Maggie’s Dundee to help the organisation get through the pandemic.
Debbie added: “We want everyone to know we’re still fundraising and we’re still training hard.
“We don’t know when exactly we will be able to go but we won’t stop.”
They are being given free training sessions by Louise Ballantyne, founder of OMNI fitness.
Speaking last month, Kyle said the cause is close to his heart after losing his dad to cancer as a 16-year-old.
He said: “I remember when I was in high school and my dad was ill, I decided to hold a fundraising concert at school playing with my band at the time – I think it was called Kyle and the Casuals – to try to raise enough money to take him to Paris.
“We raised enough money but he died before we got the chance to take him and although he didn’t receive support through Maggie’s, everyone I have spoken to has said how great they are.”
