HUNDREDS of fundraisers turned the streets of the Granite City orange as Maggie’s Aberdeen’s famous Culture Crawl fundraiser returned for the first time since 2019.
Last night around 350 walkers completed the 10K route around the city centre, stopping off at venues along the way for food, fun and entertainment. Stop-offs this year included a Tai Chi class in Westburn Park, the 5ives Football Centre on Nelson Street, Mackies 19.2 in Marischal Square, the British Art Show 9 at Aberdeen Art Gallery, and the new OGV Taproom.
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Walkers also enjoyed a guided Nuart talk at Union Plaza and also had the opportunity for some quiet reflection at Midstocket Church. They rounded off the event with a celebration back at Maggie’s Centre on Westburn Road. Other organisations to support the event included the Scotia Wings bikers and the Aberdeen and The Shire Scooter Group who provided a mobile presence on the night, while several local performers gave up their time to provide entertainment along the route.
Maggie’s Aberdeen Fundraising Manager Richard Stewart organised the event, and was delighted with how things went. “Culture Crawl has always been popular in Aberdeen and we were gutted that we missed out last year due to Covid,” he said. “Pulling it all together has been a challenge this year, but we made some adjustments: scaled back the route, involved larger and outdoor venues and used staggered starts to avoid bottlenecks and I could not be happier with the result.
“Places sold out in just six weeks and we’ve been overwhelmed with the support we’ve been offered by the many partners, venues and volunteers who have helped make it happen.
“So many people pull together to deliver Culture Crawl, and while we work flat out to make sure they have a good time, ultimately it’s the walkers that make it a success by getting involved and raising vital funds which makes all the effort worthwhile.”
Despite blisters only just beginning to heal, planning has already turned to the 2022 event, with the charity, which is based in the grounds of Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, already developing some exciting new ideas to make next year’s event even bigger and better.
Centre Fundraising Manager Kevin Mathieson added: “It’s wonderful to see Culture Crawl come alive again and to have so many of our supporters come together to the make the event a success. The centre is here for anybody who needs us and occasions like this really demonstrate how much local community value the support we offer and want to give back.”