Liz makes a splash all in name of a good cause

FOR rural villagers in Malawi carrying heavy water buckets on their heads is a daily way of life.

Now an Edinburgh mother- of-three plans to raise awareness of their hardship by completing a similar balancing act during the tenth anniversary Great Scottish Walk.

Liz Hall, a teacher at Gilmerton Primary School, has been in training to cover the six-mile course with a full bucket on top of her head.

The 52-year-old intends to wear a cushion as padding in a bid to make the walk slightly less arduous during Sunday's event.

But unlike the skilled African villagers, Mrs Hall, who lives in Morningside, is not so certain she will avoid spilling a drop.

The learning support teacher will be heading to Malawi later this month to spend five weeks living with a family in a rural community.

She hopes to raise awareness of the struggles faced by people in Malawi, where some teachers and pupils in rural areas have to walk more than 12 miles just to reach their schools.

Mrs Hall will be one of around 10,000 people expected to take part in Sunday's walk, gathering at Meadowbank Stadium to complete one, six or 12 miles for their favourite charity.

Mrs Hall said: "I've not had a lot of time to practice, so I'm a bit worried about that, but I'm sure it will be fine. I'm going to try to rig up some kind of cushion for padding, and I'll have a couple of schoolchildren coming along to help me."

Her trip to Malawi has been organised by the charity Link Community Development, which works to provide better education for children in Ghana, Uganda, South Africa and Malawi itself.

As well as helping out at the village school, Mrs Hall fully expects to take her turn at the gruelling, but vital, water run to help supply the community.

She said: "I'm sure this will be good practice, as I've no doubt I'll have to do the water run when I'm over there. I wanted to do voluntary work abroad when I was younger, but the timing didn't seem right.

"When I saw the advert for this I thought I would go for it, and I am really looking forward to it. It will be basic, but I'm sure I will be well looked after. I go camping and hiking with kids a lot, so I'm used to doing without luxuries.

"The Great Scottish Walk seemed a good way to raise funds, but I also wanted to raise awareness, and when I thought about it this seemed a good idea."

Mrs Hall, who will be taking over books and gifts for the children, has also collected letters from pupils at Gilmerton to give to African youngsters during her stay. "All the children here seem really keen to learn more about it, and I'll hopefully be able to bring back letters from the Malawi pupils for them," she said.

"I'll also be taking lots of pictures and giving a talk on what life is like out there when I get back, as the charity is all about sharing skills and raising awareness."

Terry Crossley, organiser of the Great Scottish Walk, said: "Liz is a shining example of what can be achieved for a worthy cause by using a little bit of creativity and determination."

Leading the walk will be representatives from St Columbus Hospice and Capability Scotland, celebrating their 30th and 60th anniversaries respectively.

Over the past ten years, the annual event has raised more than £6 million for charities.

The route of the Great Walk follows a loop touching the Grassmarket, Princes Street Gardens and down to Ocean Terminal before making its way back to Meadowbank Stadium.

Lord Provost George Grubb, who will start the walk along with the George Watson Pipe Band, said: "The Great Scottish Walk offers the opportunity for the whole family to get involved and enjoy the party atmosphere of this well-supported event."

The Great Scottish Walk starts at 10.30am on Sunday. To make a donation to Liz Hall, visit www.justgiving.com/lizhall