There are no limits for Police Scotland who set their heights high in support of their colleague Inspector Kirsty MacIntyre who is 45 and from Glasgow.
9 police officers, including Kirsty, and 2 staff from the Wheatley Group conquered the great heights of Ben Nevis in celebration of Kirsty’s treatment for breast cancer finishing. They are all part of The Community Improvement Partnership, a collaboration between Police Scotland and the Wheatley Group, which seeks to improve the lives of communities throughout Scotland.
Not satisfied with Scotland’s highest mountain, one of the police officers, Natalie Reid, is taking on the challenge of a lifetime – Kilimanjaro this October.
Kirsty was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2023 and was treated at the Beatson, West of Scotland Cancer Centre. During her treatment she reached out to Maggie’s who supported her throughout. Kirsty said “Although I had support from family and friends and my amazing colleagues, Maggie’s was a huge support to me throughout and I don’t know what I’d have done without them. Maggie’s was a place I could go to just feel like a person again rather than always being a patient. They would listen to me and massively helped me process some of the more difficult things I was dealing with during the treatment. It means a lot to me that my colleagues are taking on this challenge to help raise funds for Maggie’s and Breast Cancer Now, another charity which supported me throughout, and so I’m delighted that my fitness has returned and I was able to summit within 4 hours.”
A colleague and friend, Natalie Reid who is also 45 and from the Glasgow area, is going one step beyond and taking on Kilimanjaro as part of the overall challenge. “When Kirsty was diagnosed it very much impacted the team. It was our mission to try to repay Kirsty for the years that she had been by our sides as Head of the Police Team within the Unit both in our work and in our personal lives. The old cliché of “if it happens to one it is felt by us all” rings so true and we wanted to raise funds for the two charities which were a lifeline to Kirsty and her family during her treatment. Kilimanjaro has always been on my bucket-list so this gives me a perfect motivation to make it a reality!”
Kerry Craig, Centre Head at Maggie’s Glasgow, said: “We’re really grateful to Kirsty MacIntyre and her colleagues at Police Scotland and Wheatley Group for choosing to support Maggie’s and we are delighted that they completed their challenge in what feels like record time. Good luck to Natalie with her monumental challenge.”
Built in the grounds of Gartnavel Hospitals, Maggie’s Glasgow is a warm and welcoming place, with qualified professionals on hand to offer an evidence-based core programme of support that has been shown to improve physical and emotional wellbeing.
Maggie’s Glasgow relies on voluntary donations to run its high quality programme of support. The charity’s aim is to make the biggest difference possible to people living with cancer and their family and friends.
To find out more about Maggie’s Glasgow and to see how the Centre supports people with cancer across Glasgow please visit the Centre at Maggie’s Glasgow 1053 Great Western Road, Glasgow G12 0YN or get in touch on 0141 330 9792 or email heather.mcarthur@maggies.org
