Musician’s 370 mile quest to highlights hidden disability issue

Jul 16 2010 by Denis Brown, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

COVERING 370 odd miles on foot is no walk in the park, particularly if you’re disabled.

Although she appears able bodied, musician Gillian Maitland, who next month embarks on a fundraising walk from John o’ Groats to Gretna, actually has a hidden disability.

When a car slammed into her moped in Miami in 2007 her left leg was left paralysed from the knee down, though the 24-year-old said walking was made possible via a special brace.

“I was in was in my third year at Miami University at the time of the crash and came back to Scotland to recover,” said Gillian.

“It took me a year to learn to walk with the use of a brace, during which I discovered that there really isn’t any help out there for newly disabled people, which I found shocking.

“My disability is hidden and along with being young, this has generated a lot of problems, a lot of which stems from people thinking that you have to appear to be disabled in order to be disabled.

“The fact is that there are more people with hidden disabilities than not, and hopefully our fundraising event will help change this misconception.”

Accompanied by pal and guitarist Callum Dewar (22), the percussionist departs from John O’ Groats on August 1, aiming to trek up to 15 miles a day, performing concerts and master classes en route.

The month-long quest, in association with Capability Scotland, is expected to generate a whopping £30,000, to which end the pair are employing a diverse array of modern fundraising and communication gadgetry.

In addition to a slick website, tools include Twitter, JustGiving, a virtual map of Scotland where businesses can buy squares to post logos and homepage links, and concerts with a raffle.

Music lovers attending will be the first to hear pieces especially penned for the event by world-famous composers including David Horne, Gordon McPherson, Eddie McGuire, Lyell Creswell and Kai Stensgaard.

The premier concert staged during Callum and Gillian’s Great Big Walk is at Perth’s St Ninians Cathedral on August 17, where the two pals will showcase Rory Boyle’s duo for marimba and guitar.

Asked how she expected her damaged limb to cope with such a strenuous and repetitive daily demand, the Forfar resident replied that she would be taking one step at a time.

“I’ve been training for quite a while now, and we’re adopting a day by day approach to the walk,” she said.

“The leg brace I use is called an ankle foot orthotic. It has a hinge on it that basically lets my ankle bend and swings my foot back into the right position so I don’t fall over.

“To most people I don’t look as if I have a disability, which is the whole reason why we’re doing this event in the first place.”

Tickets for the St Ninians Cathedral concert can be purchased online via a link at www.callumandgilliansgreatbigwalk.co.uk