A group of family and friends completed the 96-mile West Highland Way trek in memory of Thomas Campbell, a beloved Dumbarton dad who died suddenly from a blood clot in August last year at the age of 52. The trek, undertaken between July 20 and 27, raised over £1,500 for Diabetes UK.
Challenge Inspired by Thomas's Own Trekking
Thomas, who had lived with Type 2 diabetes while maintaining a healthy lifestyle, had previously completed three sections of the West Highland Way alongside his son Gage, 25, before having to return for treatment to a back injury. As a tribute to his memory, the group decided to complete the trek that Thomas couldn't quite manage during his life.
The group included Thomas's wife Marjory, son Gage, Marjory's sister Lyndsay Reid, and her uncles Stevie and Deirdre Muldoon. Marjory's 76-year-old dad, Ian, completed a few sections, with additional support from her sister-in-law Julie Campbell and her son Michael, her friend Sarah Jane Duffy and son Lewis Woolam, Thomas's pal Billy Stevenson, daughter Cheryl and some of her friends, and Lynn Duffy who completed the first day. Marjory's brother-in-law, Colin Reid, provided logistical support by driving the van filled with kit.
Emotional Journey and Fundraising Success
Speaking to the Lennox, Marjory, who met Thomas through his time with the Territorial Army, said: “It was such an emotional time and I don’t know how many times I cried from it.” She added, “My husband used to love Fosters as a beer and he was embarrassed because he said it was a rubbish beer, but as a wee tribute, we made sure to have a wee glass after each day.”
“It was a really brutal trek for us; my friend is still struggling to walk after the effort we put in but getting over the finish line was the most emotional and best feeling,” she said. “Seeing Thomas’s dad Robert there at the end made things stand out even more and he was there to tell us how proud Thomas would have been and how proud he was of us as well.”
An online fundraiser has surpassed its initial £1,000 target, with the total now standing at a little over £1,500.
