The Story of The Radio Station, Kiltwalk & the

When your alarm goes and the first thing you hear is one of the nation's favourite DJ's gasping for breath, as they try to keep pace with the treadmill in the studio, you know straight away that the title of your Blipfoto Journal for that day has to be "The Radio Station, The Kiltwalk and the DJ"

Real Radio

So let's start with the radio station. Real Radio has become synonymous with The Kiltwalk and once again we're delighted to have them on board as they provide massive support for the charity.

They provide the obvious things such as turning up on the day and providing the entertainment, like the Real Radio Scotland Real Talent Winners, Double Trouble and the Soundsational Choir, cause that's the kind of thing they do.

However there is a real sense of empathy and enthusiasm that comes from everyone we engage with at Real Radio. As an organisation they do wonderful things for CHAS, but they always go that extra mile for The Kiltwalk, almost as if we're a "favourite wee brother" that they look after.

There's also the other stuff they do for us such as allowing us to have a focal point on their website, or have their DJ's mention us and of course this year they provided us with two week long blasts of free airtime - in January which kick started our registrations and then again in March. It's a great platform for The Kiltwalk to tell the world what we do and why we do it, as evidenced by the airtime they gave Carey this morning.

The "bloke" in the picture, who I'm sure you all recognise, is Ewen Cameron from Real Radio. If you're also a "bloke" Ewen is a bit like marmite, you either love him, or you don't and I was in the "don't" camp. I was in the don't camp because I had a view of what he wasn't i.e. Hugh Keevins, however my "view" completely changed when I witnessed Ewen at first hand doing "his stuff" which gave me an understanding of what he is, and that's an entertainer.

So let me explain.

Like many of us, I came across Ewen on the Football Phone in show and thought he was loud and lacking in football knowledge and facts, well he is a 'Jambo' and from a 'football' point of view I snobbishly judged this to be a problem, the 'facts' bit, not being a Jambo. In fact I used to get so mad at his rantings I invariably ended up listening to the 'other' football phone in show.

Then something quite unexpected happened.

I attended the TACC Xmas Ball at Hampden Park back in 2010, where Ewen was showing his support by being the Guest of Honour and hosting the Charity auction and I have to confess I thought "awe naw, it's the guy from the Football Phone in"

After the meal and a few scoops it was time for Ewen's 'bit'.

He started at 90 miles per hour, within minutes was at full throttle and after five minutes totally owned the audience as he worked the room.

Unconstrained by time checks, news bulletins or adverts Ewen single handedly raised in the region of £6,500 pounds in a raffle that most people would have struggled to reach £2,500.

You see Ewen is an entertainer and his Phone in show, although loosely connected to 'football' was about entertaining his listeners and looking back now I realise that's what he was doing. He was right and I was wrong and it was the same at Hampden, he entertained.

One minute he had us trying to get us to out bid each other and rolling with laughter the next as he picked on his prey, at which point you were thankful it wasn't your table he was extracting the yellow liquid out of.

It's safe to say that after his performance I became a 'Ewen Cameron' fan and it's no surprise the Real Radio Breakfast show is the 'School Run' channel of choice in our car.

Ewen's problem in a radio studio is that he always has too much to say for a single sentence and wants to start saying the next sentence, before he's finished the first, he's just too excitable, too full of ridiculous ideas that sometimes actually come off.

He's a bit like your favourite Holiday Red Coat, the guy who never remembers his lines and just goes off on one, but he's always the one you remember when the holiday is over and you're reminiscing about the great time you had.

It's also no coincidence the Football Phone in hasn't been quite the same since he left as it's had to move to a more 'serious' rather than entertaining format.

The Kiltwalk

So what is "The Kiltwalk", is not just the Tartan Army Children's Charity (TACC)?

"Well no, it's not, not anymore anyway".

The Kitwalk concept was indeed started by TACC and for the first two years of its existence it was The TACC Kilwalk and was one of the many things TACC do. However The Kiltwalk was proving to be so successful, catching everyone's imagination, that it was decided The Kiltwalk should go "it's own way".

The Kiltwalk is a new registered Scottish charity, and our sole purpose in life is to bring some of Scotland's leading children's charities together to make a bigger difference. Effectively we're an umbrella charity that passes on an equal amount of what we raise to our four Partner Charities who are Aberlour Children's Trust, CHAS, CLIC Sargent and TACC.

Cat Harvey

Finally we come to not only the star of the photograph, but also one of The Kiltwalks greatest supporters and a "Real" star as far as we're concerned.
Today is the 47th Blipfoto Journal I've written since I began way back in January. It's one I've been looking forward to doing as I always knew I would be writing 'something' about our Kiltwalk hero, however it feels like the most difficult to write because how do you write a story about someone you think you know, but have never met?

Cat Harvey, or Cat to you and I, is doing the Kiltwalk for the 3rd year running (Ewen still can't be persuaded) so she's a well known face to fellow Kiltwalkers. So I "think I know her" because I've seen Cat on The Kiltwalk.

She's also a seasoned supporter of the Scotland national football team, as I am. So I "think I know Cat" because I have seen her in far flung places around the world. In fact I very nearly said "hello" to her in Oslo a few years ago when we both stood in the queue for what was the only toilet in the town square, however Cat was 'burstin' and totally focused on "bladder content retention" so I felt it rude to intrude on her concentration.

There's then the fact that when you turn on your radio in the morning she's just "there" to brighten up your morning. She just makes you feel better and if it came to dinner parties you know you'd want her as a guest because you "think you know her" and she would be the "life and soul" of the party.

So we all love Cat and we all "know" Cat, but of course we don't really know her, we just think we do.

What we do know about Cat Harvey is that "it does what it says on the tin" and that's why no one will be surprised to hear that at Cat's recent 40th birthday party she asked that her guests make a donation to the Kiltwalk rather than buy her a birthday present - raising £1,000 in the process!

So if you see Cat on Kiltwalk Day, give her a smile and be kind to her if she's lagging as like the rest of us, she's not getting any younger.

You never know I might be brave and even pluck up the courage to go and say hello.

You can support The Kiltwalk NOW!! Text KILT00 £2 to 70070