Amputee launches 500-mile event

Monday, October 5th, 2009

Another fantastic effort by Olivia Giles of 500 Miles. The Douglas Bader Foundation wishes her (and all her fellow walkers) the best of luck in this great fund-raising endeavour for such a good cause.

A quadruple amputee is urging people to take part in a charity walk to help raise money to buy artificial limbs for people in Africa.

Olivia Giles sent a huge Saltire to Sir Sean Connory’s home in the Bahamas, which he signed in support of the charity

Olivia Giles, 44, from Edinburgh, who had her hands and feet removed in 2002 through meningitis, said she hoped to raise tens of thousands of pounds.

Walkers will set off one minute apart between 1120 BST and 1930 BST on Saturday to total 500 miles.

The 500 Miles charity’s Miles for Smiles event starts at Festival Square.

A host of celebrities and household names have signed up for the event including The Proclaimers – whose song, (I’m gonna be) 500 Miles, inspired the event – as well as Nick Nairns, Fred Macaulay and Ian Rankin.

from the Sheraton Hotel are planning to carry a bed around the course, which travels from Festival Square to the EICC in Morrison Street and back round in a loop, and workers from The One Spa have pledged to do it in their dressing gowns.

Everyone who takes part in the event will add their signature to a 9ft Saltire, which will be hung in the charity’s clinic in Malawi.

Sir Sean Connery has also signed the Saltire, which was sent over to his home in the Bahamas before being returned to Edinburgh.

First Minister Alex Salmond and Miss Scotland Katharine Brown have also added their signatures to the flag.

Little sleep

Mrs Giles told the BBC Scotland news website how an artificial leg costs as little as £60.

She said: “I would like to encourage people to do it in the most interesting or challenging way they can. The event celebrates mobility and if you are able-bodied then do more than walk to help raise some smiles.

“I have had very little sleep over the course of three weeks during all the planning so I feel numb and I’m holding my breath that it doesn’t rain on the day.

“I run a clinic in Malawi and support another in Zambia to help those who have no money.

“At the clinics they do life-transforming surgery and the difference to the individual is like night and day.”

There are about 80 miles left for people to sign up to complete.

Mrs Giles will also participate with staff from the city’s Astley Ainslie Hospital who helped her to walk again.