Archie, 12, walks more than 2,700 miles for fundraiser in memory of grandmother

A young boy from a village near Edinburgh has walked double the equivalent distance between the city and Lapland to raise funds for the charity that provided end-of-life care to his grandmother.

Archie MacPhie, 12, from Kirkliston, firstly decided he was going to walk the distance of Edinburgh to Lapland – a total of 1,366 miles – in memory of his grandma Sheena.

But having clocked up the miles in record speed, he decided to walk the same distance again and name his challenge in aid of Marie Curie “Leg it to Lapland… and back”.

He completed his challenge on Wednesday – the first anniversary of Sheena’s death – by crossing the finishing line at the Marie Curie Hospice in Edinburgh.

He initially set out to raise a target of £500 for the charity but by this week had raised a total of £1,475.

Archie, who was supported on his walks by family and friends, said he never expected to end up walking more than 2,700 miles to complete his latest challenge.

He said: “During granny’s last few weeks, my mum and I raised money for Fighting Against Cancer Edinburgh.

“This is a charity close to our hearts. We walked 98 miles around all the places that she loved to visit in Edinburgh, raising over £3,000.

“Our challenge last year helped our family and others cope with the sadness. This latest challenge is to mark the first anniversary since we lost granny and raise money for Marie Curie.

“I started this challenge on Mother’s Day and any spare moment I had I would walk. I would get up at 6am before school and get in some miles and whenever we didn’t need to take the car we’d walk.

“I think my parents thought I would get fed up with walking everywhere, but when I saw the donations coming in from people I couldn’t stop.

Doing the challenge and raising money was my way of saying thank you and to give something back, so that Marie Curie can continue being there for other people and their families

“I also decided to mix things up and run instead. I’ve recently been to Holland and Germany and did lots of running when I was there.

“I’ve pretty much used my feet and legs for the past four months, and will continue to do so as I’ve signed up for a 50k run in August for Cancer Research.”

Sheena was diagnosed with bladder cancer in November 2022 and sadly died in July 2023.

She spent the last two weeks of her life being cared for by nurses at the Marie Curie Hospice in Edinburgh.

Archie said: “Doing the challenge and raising money was my way of saying thank you and to give something back, so that Marie Curie can continue being there for other people and their families.”

Fiona Bushby, community fundraiser for Marie Curie, said: “What a superstar Archie is. To have given his all for the past four months is just so selfless and incredible, and we’re so thankful to him and his supporters for all their efforts.

“To have finished his challenge on the anniversary of Sheena’s death is incredibly moving, and Marie Curie staff wanted to personally thank him by being at the finishing line.”

“Marie Curie holds a special place in people’s hearts forever. And it’s through fundraisers, like Archie, that we can continue being there for people living with a terminal illness and their loved ones when they need us most.”