A BARRHEAD family are hitting the road to help raise funds for the care and treatment of cancer patients.

They are among 2,000 people participating in a 10km walk for the Beatson Cancer Charity later this month.

Three sisters – Fiona Christie, 61, Helen Connor, 60, and Carly MacGregor Grant, 50 – have all signed up.

Also on the fundraising team are Carly’s husband Iain, 51, and Fiona’s 63-year-old husband David.

The siblings are doing the walk in memory of their dad Jim McGregor, who died from cancer 32 years ago and would have been 90 this year.

The annual ‘Off the Beatson Track’ event takes place on Sunday, August 28.

It will start at the Riverside Museum, in Glasgow, and go past the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, via Kelvingrove Museum, and back to the Riverside Museum to finish.

Nutritionist Carly said her Barrhead-born dad was a lecturer in bio engineering at Strathclyde University and had a keen interest in science.

She added: “Our dad died of cancer 32 years ago and, when we realised Off the Beatson Track was going to be on the eve of what would have been his 90th birthday this year, we thought it would be a fitting way to celebrate this special anniversary and raise some money for a great cause in his memory.

“He was a medical man, an educator, a researcher and an innovator. He loved new technology and one of my strongest memories of him was his appearance on the TV programme Tomorrow’s World in the 1980s.

“He was demonstrating a piece of medical equipment he had invented.

“As well as the many amazing wellbeing services Beatson Cancer Charity provide to patients, they also fund specialist staff and support cutting-edge cancer research and education, which dad would have loved.

“I am sure he would have been proud of us for supporting their work.”

The charity walk also has the backing of the sisters’ 90-year-old mum Christine, who will be cheering them on from home.

Older brother Colin, 63, while not taking part, is helping with the fundraising, along with his wife Gillian.

The McGregor family were all brought up in Uplawmoor but Carly, Fiona and their mum now live in Barrhead.

Maisie McCormick, community fundraising manager at Beatson Cancer Charity, said: “We’re delighted to finally be able to host our first live Off the Beatson Track event since 2019.

“We’re so grateful to everyone who took part in the virtual walks over the last two years but we can’t wait to see a sea of yellow take to the streets of Glasgow once again.

“Every single person who signs up is allowing us to support more cancer patients and their families over the years to come and we cannot thank them enough for that.”

Anyone wishing to donate can do so at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Carly-MacGregor-Grant1.