Brodies LLP is to sponsor the first Maggie's Culture Crawl in Aberdeen this summer - giving walkers special access to some of the Granite City's most iconic buildings and raising vital funds for Maggie's Aberdeen.
More than 1,000 supporters have already taken part in the hugely popular Scottish Culture Crawls in Edinburgh and Glasgow, which have raised over £240,000 to support people affected by cancer, and their families.
Now Aberdeen is going to be the centre of attention with the launch of its own Culture Crawl. Walkers will have exclusive access to some of the city's hidden architectural treasures, enjoy cultural surprises and soak up the party atmosphere with music, and food and drink from local suppliers along the 10-mile route.
All money raised from the crawl will go directly to supporting the Maggie's Aberdeen Centre, which costs over £400,000 a year to run. Maggie's, which provides free services to people affected by cancer, hopes to raise £25,000 through the culture crawl.
The walk will set off from the Maggie's Aberdeen Centre in the grounds of Aberdeen Royal Infirmary at 5pm on Friday, June 23.
Walkers will make their way through the city before finishing at the David Welch Winter Gardens in the Duthie Park. The locations and exact route will be kept secret until the day of the Culture Crawl. So, to uncover secrets and see Aberdeen as never before, you'll have to sign up to take part!
Paula Cormack, Centre Fundraising Manager for Maggie's Aberdeen, said: "We're so excited to bring the event to Aberdeen for the first time. Having seen the fantastic Culture Crawls that Maggie's has already hosted in Edinburgh, Glasgow and London, it's a great way to explore the city and maybe even learn something new about our home.
"It's more than a walk - it's a celebration of our great local heritage and culture, with music, food and drink. We'd love the whole community to get involved and get behind it, whether you'd like to take part, volunteer your services or offer support in another way."
Bill Drummond, Managing Partner of Brodies LLP, said: "I know first-hand just how much fun it is to take part in a Culture Crawl as well as the satisfaction that you get from helping such a good cause. I'd encourage people in Aberdeen and the north-east to get right behind the Granite City's first Culture Crawl, help make a real difference to people affected by cancer and put the Aberdeen Culture Crawl firmly on the map. When we did the first Crawl in Edinburgh in 2015, on the way round I met a number of Aberdonians who had made the trip down to help Maggie's so I'm sure there will be a great response to help make the 23rd a big success."
Paula added: "We are so grateful to Brodies for sponsoring Maggie's Culture Crawl. Their support is vital in bringing this large scale event to Aberdeen and the benefit to Maggie's will be significant.
"We rely entirely on voluntary donations to deliver Maggie's unique, evidence-based programme of support. The charity's aim is to make the biggest difference possible to people living with cancer. We would welcome any other local companies or members of the community that would like to get involved in any way, to get in touch."
The registration fee for the event is £20 with everyone asked to raise a minimum of £100 each. The minimum age for participants is 16 years old and those aged 16 to 18 will need to be accompanied by an adult.
Great architecture and design is vital to the care offered at Maggie's cancer care centres, providing the calm, uplifting environment that is so important to the people who visit and work in them. The charity works with world-famous architects such as Zaha Hadid, Richard Rogers and Norman Foster.
Find more information about the Maggie's Aberdeen Culture Crawl here.