Stirling shopping centre launches community challenge to walk 900km

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Thistles shopping centre has launched the inaugural event for its Thistles 900 campaign, aimed at bringing communities together to collectively travel a staggering 900km around the mall in celebration of Stirling’s 900-year anniversary.

On Saturday Thistles launched the beginning of the campaign with its ‘Monster Dash’ where children completed a lap of the shopping centre while donning their spookiest Halloween costumes.

Thistles will be hosting special experiences for valued members of the community from now until April 2025.

Launched in partnership with local children's social enterprise Babes in the Wood, the Thistles 900 campaign encourages families, friends, and local groups to join in the fun and help us achieve this ambitious distance. Babes in the Wood was founded to reduce the impact of landfill waste on the environment, to alleviate the effects of poverty on children from birth to 16 years all from its friendly community shop where parents and carers can source low-cost children’s items.

Participants had the opportunity to complete a lap of the shopping centre, stopping at various checkpoints for treats and surprises, all while raising funds for a wonderful cause.

Gary Turnbull, Centre Director at Thistles, said: “It was great to see the community get immediately involved in our Thistles 900km challenge to celebrate our city’s rich history. By coming together to achieve this goal, we hope to foster connections and create lasting memories. The Monster Dash was a fantastic way to kick things off, and we can’t wait to host further events!”

Linda Barrack, Managing Director at Babes in the Wood, said: “We were thrilled to work in partnership with Thistles for this exciting event. The Stirling community has been so welcoming & supportive of the work we do since we opened in 2018 and I'm sure they'll be keen to get involved. The demand for our free children's clothing packs has grown exponentially this year & we couldn't provide these essentials without community involvement. We look forward to the Thistles 900 Campaign & fostering more community partnerships as a result."

As part of the Thistles 900 campaign, Thistles encourages community members to complete a lap of the mall to contribute to the overall target of 900km. Those participating in the events can post their results to social media tagging ThistlesStirling on Instagram.

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