Family of tragic Cornton youngster pull on trainers for Kiltwalk fundraiser

The family of tragic Cornton youngster Lauchlan Thomson hit the streets alongside thousands of charity fundraisers at the weekend for the Glasgow Kiltwalk in his memory. Lauchlan Thomson was just 11 when he passed away in November 2025 following complications with leukaemia, with which he had only been diagnosed a month prior after his family had noticed him getting paler as well as a lump in his cheeks. Lauchlan’s parents Kate and Craig decided to take on the Mighty Stride challenge - a 23 mile walk between Glasgow Green and Balloch - on Sunday as part of a seven-strong group and completed the trek in eight hours. The group, named ‘Team Lauchlan’, was made up of Kate and Craig, alongside Lindsay and Gary Hammond, Peter McGowan, Amanda Gillies along with Sarah McMaster and her son Harris.

Youngster Harris, 12, a pupil at Bridge of Allan Primary, vowed to conquer the ‘Mighty Stroll’, which is a 14 mile trek from Clydebank to Balloch. The ‘Team Lauchlan’ fundraiser secured £10,500 worth of backing Glasgow Childrens Hospital Charity - the nominated cause by Kate and Craig. Alongside that big effort, another team based at Kate’s workplace, SS&C Technologies in Stirling, also pulled on the trainers for the same charity and themselves raised £2,300. Football-mad Lauchlan - who turned out for local club Riverside FC - was diagnosed with the disease on October 4 after his parents noticed him getting paler and a lump developing in his cheeks.

It was a little over a month later when the teenager passed away on November 7 following complications with the disease. An initial community-led fundraiser raised more than £11,000 and in the aftermath of the news, a number of youth football clubs from across the region - including Riverside, Milton and Stirling Albion Youth Academy - all held minute’s silences ahead of their matches in Lauchlan’s memory.

Meanwhile, a number of other teams including Dunblane Soccer Club, Alloa Saints, Cowie United, Camelon Juniors 2014s and Baljaffray 2014s all donated to the fundraiser as a gesture of solidarity. Following Lauchlan’s tragic passing, his heartbroken mum Kate told the Observer: “Lauchlan was just a really happy, really sporty boy. “He had such a fun and bright personality and he was very determined to the point it used to drive me mad – if Lauchlan had set his sights on something, then he would keep going with it until he managed it. “He had lots of friends and was football-mad; not so much watching it, but he loved getting out and playing as well as being on his Xbox. “The care we received at the hospital was just out of this world and everyone looked after us so well.”