Pets put their best paws forward during a charity walk in Aberdeen yesterday to raise money for research into blood cancers.
The sun shone for the inaugural 5k fun run and dog walk, organised by the Aberdeen branch of Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research (LLR), at Hazlehead Park.
Local mum Heather Newcombe said it was fantastic to complete the walk with her whole family, including eldest son Mark, 26, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), in August 2011.
The young electrician embarked on a gruelling three-year course of treatment, and is now in the final phase, known as maintenance therapy – aimed at keeping the leukaemia in remission for longer.
The treatment, which is funded by LLR, involves low-dose chemotherapy and drugs for up to two years.
Mrs Newcombe said: “It was quite emotional because this is a brand new walk for the city – it has never been done before and the amount of people that turned up for the first time was really overwhelming.
“I’m doing this for the research because the maintenance treatment that Mark is on was not available 10 years ago and without it, the outcome would have been very different.”
Joining her were husband Jim, son Scott, 24, daughter Jemma, 19, and nephew Neil McIntosh, whose 17-month-old daughter Elizabeth was the event’s youngest walker.
Also taking part with her daughter Layla, six, son Rohan, three, boxer Macy and Jack Russell Pippa, was Jackie Kidd, who turned to LLR for support after her eldest son Keiran MacRonald, 17, was diagnosed with ALL last June.
The 39-year-old mother-of-three said: “Keiran couldn’t come today as he has just come out of hospital after getting a bad infection but it was a really good day and the atmosphere was great.
“It was nice listening to other people’s stories on the way round and to see so many people supporting the charity up in the north-east.”
It is hoped the walk will become an annual fundraising event for the charity.