Louise McKenzie

On Saturday 24th April Ayr Rugby Club alongside Unity Grill participated in the Virtual Kilt Walk. Funds were being raised for Ayr Rugby Community Trust and Unity Grill.

With well over 40 people signed up, it was a relief when the walk landed on the hottest day of the year so far!

Starting at Unity Grill with a complimentary coffee and bacon roll the walkers were allocated time slots to start their route in line with Scottish Government COVID-19 Level 3 Guidelines.

The groups were raring to go and following some socially distanced pictures were waved off by Ayr RFC Mascot Burnsy – who also made several appearances at stops throughout the day!

Resident photographer George McMillan was on hand at Prestwick shore with his trusty camera to capture pictures of the event with a lot of happy faces both enjoying the coastline walk and being reunited with friends.

Two pit stops were set up on the route offering much-needed water to those taking part and a midway stop at Unity Grill provided snacks and juice to keep the walkers’ energy up for the rest of the way. From here it was down to Ayr shore and along the beach passing by those who spent their day at the beach. Groups of people clapped for those who were taking part and cheered them on as they headed along the shoreline.

The last push saw the walkers finishing at the familiar surroundings of Millbrae. As the groups crossed the finishing line, smiles still on their faces, with maybe a hint of sunburn, it was the perfect end to an incredible day.

Raising an outstanding amount of £6,056 Ayr Rugby Football club and Unity Grill cannot thank all participants and sponsors enough for helping to raise these funds. With an additional 50% top-up from Sir Tom Hunter the funds will go a long way to improving our local community.

Further information & pictures from the event can be found by following Ayr Rugby Football Club across their social media channels.

AYR RUGBY Football Club has partnered with the local community & social restaurant Unity Grill for the 2021 Virtual Kilt Walk to raise funds for both organisations and their on-going work within the local community.

This year the Virtual Kilt Walk is being held across Scotland on the weekend of 23-25th April 2021.

Ayr Rugby Football Club will hold their virtual walk on Saturday 24th April, with a proposed 20km route, starting at Unity Grill in Ayr. 

On the partnership, Angela Inver, Founder of Unity Grill said: 

 “At UG (Unity Grill) we are so privileged to have so much support from our community. It has been fantastic to build our relationship with the club who have provided a strong partnership when it comes to our outreach programs. With your help, we have now reached as far as Girvan to vulnerable families and have provided support to 1000’s of individuals. We couldn’t have done this without you. This event is an extension of our partnership to reach those who need our support most.”

She then added:

“The funds will help us get mobile. Our bricks and mortar restrict our ability to reach out, we depend on folks coming to us. A set of wheels will strengthen the work we do at UG (Unity Grill) and also with our new projects next door. The ultimate goal is always to challenge food insecurity.”

Stewart Fenwick, Director of Rugby for Ayr Community Rugby Trust and Ayr Rugby Football Club said:

 “For the Community Trust, this is a vital opportunity for us to raise funds as we hopefully approach the end of a, particularly tough year. The last 12 months have been difficult for everyone, but for us as a charity even more so, especially when we have previously relied on community-backed fundraising events such as the Long Lunch to raise funds to allow us to run our programs in schools and across the community.”

He added:

“The funds raised will contribute towards the running of Community Trust programs such as Rugby Life; engaging young people through rugby but with an emphasis on the skills and experiences gained through team sport such as communication, leadership, and resilience. It will also support the delivery of modules such as Mental Health and Well-being, Social Media Awareness, Nutrition, Staying Safe Online, and Goal Setting to aid development both on and off the field. It will also allow us to maintain and grow existing programs based around primary and secondary school delivery as well as diversionary work such as Street Rugby.” 

Stuart concluded by saying: 

“Partnering with other local businesses in the community is incredibly important. Seeing businesses, clubs, and charities working together to support each other in local events such as this not only benefits all involved but shows exactly what can be achieved when communities pull together.”

The duo is now accepting registrations for all those wanting to take part in the event. As an incentive the first 20 people signing up for the event will receive a 50% discount using the following codes: 

Adults – ACRTVIRT50

Kids – ACRTKIDS50

Anyone who wishes to sign-up or donate can do so via the following link – https://virtual.thekiltwalk.co.uk/teams/AyrCommunityRugbyTrustUnityGrillers

To join the team select ‘Ayr Community Rugby Trust Unity Grillers’ and then select the charity ‘Ayr Rugby Community Trust’  

Further information on the event can be found by following Ayr Rugby Football Club across their social media channels.