Local children’s charity, Kayleigh’s Wee Stars (KWS) welcomed over 200 runners to their flagship Barra 10K running event at the weekend. A total of £7.5K was raised, which will enable the charity to continue supporting families across Scotland where a child has a terminal diagnosis.
Saturday 25th
May saw hundreds of runners, families and supporters descend on Meldrum Academy, which served as the race HQ for the family friendly event.
The youngsters were up first, as the penultimate event in the Active Schools Aberdeenshire Run4Fun cross country series kicked off. 150 primary school aged children took part, racing around the track at Meldrum Academy, to the deafening cheers and encouragement of their families and supporters.
The temperature had risen considerably by the time the 211 runners lined up at the starting line to tackle the multi-terrain 10K race which unfolded across the Garioch countryside. Just a couple of kilometres into the event, runners were faced with the challenge of climbing, and indeed descending the 633ft high Barra Hill. Fortunately the skirl of the pipes spurred them on, thanks to the musical talents of father and son piping duo Gavin and Lewis Cantlay (a former pupil of Jonathan’s) at the hill’s summit.
Fastest woman on the day was Rebecca Easton, with a time of 44.28, while Jonathan Gamble crossed the line in 36.56 to take the title of fastest male. The course record is held by Emma Murray - 44.16 (2022) and Myles Edwards who ran it in a blistering 34.22 in 2023.
Primary teachers Jonathan and Anna Cordiner established the charity in 2012 after losing their 20-month-old daughter, Kayleigh, to terminal illness. They wanted to alleviate the financial burden for those families caring for a terminally ill child, helping them to make the most of their remaining time together.
Over the past 12 years, KWS, which is based in Oldmeldrum, Aberdeenshire has raised over £1million, and helped hundreds of families during the most harrowing of times.
Jonathan Cordiner said, “The support we provide to the families through the charity is only possible with the incredible support we receive from the local community. Saturday’s Barra 10K was a shining example of this. We are so grateful to all of our sponsors, corporate partners, volunteers, marshals, local businesses, fundraisers and of course the runners themselves, who helped us put on such a fantastic event. We even welcomed some families we have helped in recent years, who continue to offer their unwavering support.
“It’s always a day that brings the KWS community together in the most incredible way to raise much-needed funds for families across Scotland. When caring for their terminally ill child, and probably taking time off work to do so, the last thing they should be worrying about is paying the bills. And that’s where KWS comes in. We are thrilled to have raised £7500, with every penny raised from this year’s entry fees going directly to families in need, helping them to make precious memories with their child.
“We are planning to build on the success of this year’s event and come back even bigger and better next year! An additional 5K race is in the pipeline at what will be a fantastic festival of running. We thank everyone for their invaluable support, and look forward to welcoming them back in 2025.”
Learn more about Kayleigh’s Wee Stars at: www.kayleighsweestars.co.uk