Sportsters Falkirk staff taking on Kiltwalk to support youngsters battling life-threatening illnesses

(Left to right) Shannon Aitken, Sportsters bar supervisor; Les Hoey MBE, foundation chairman; Gus Michael, Sportsters DJ; Laura Cochrane, dream assistant; and Rebecca Edwards, Sportsters restaurant manager

A team of determined Sportsters employees will take on the Glasgow Kiltwalk on behalf of the Les Hoey MBE Dream Maker Foundation on Sunday, April 29.

This will be the third consecutive year the Princes Street bar has tackled the challenge for the organisation, which has been working to make dreams come true for Scottish youngsters since 1992.

The charity has helped children and their families through gruelling treatments by enabling youngsters to meet their idols, including American singer Beyonce and the Scotland men’s football team.

The Dream Maker Foundation has also taken youngsters to concerts, sports fixtures, theme parks and zoos, as well as on a number of overseas trips.

Last year, Sportsters raised £8000 for the organisation through its Thursday night smartphone pub quiz and by organising bucket collections in Falkirk.

Its employees are now repeating that successful fundraising method as they gear up for the 23-mile Kiltwalk.

Residents from the Falkirk area are encouraged to head along to the venue on Thursdays and pay the £1-per-person entry fee to get involved in what is hailed as the UK’s leading smartphone quiz.

Funds from the nights will then be donated to the Dream Maker Foundation.

Sportsters DJ and quizmaster Gus Michael, who has taken part in the Kiltwalk in each of the past three years, is hopeful the upcoming event will prove just as successful as the previous attempts.

He said: “The Dream Maker Foundation is a lovely charity to be a part of.

“It’s very important because it helps children with life-threatening illnesses who ask for something special and the charity then helps to make their dreams come true.

“I think we will probably raise about the same again this time but hopefully we can get a wee bit more.

“The children the Dream Maker Foundation supports are going through hard times and so are their families, so it helps to give everyone some respite in these difficult situations.”

For more information about the foundation, visit www.leshoeymbedreammakerfoundation.org.