\n Craig Ferguson, from Paisley, received the region\u2019s highest civic honour, joining a very select group, as the honour has only been awarded six times previously.\n<\/p>\n
\n Craig first rose to public attention in 2024 when he walked more than 1000 miles from Glasgow to Munich in a kilt.\n<\/p>\n
\n The journey was timed to support Scotland\u2019s opening game at the UEFA European Championships.\n<\/p>\n
\n He raised more than \u00a377,000 for men\u2019s mental health charity Brothers in Arms and helped put a spotlight on the importance of mental wellbeing.\n<\/p>\n
\n Following Scotland\u2019s qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, he took on an even greater challenge.\n<\/p>\n
\n Craig walked 3240 miles from Los Angeles to Boston\u2014covering the equivalent of more than 120 marathons.\n<\/p>\n
\n He completed the trek in just more than 100 days ahead of Scotland\u2019s opening match against Haiti, raising more than \u00a31.3 million for Scottish Action for Mental Health (SAMH).\n<\/p>\n
\n Craig Ferguson received the Freedom of Renfrewshire (Image: Renfrewshire Council)\n<\/p>\n
\n Craig said: “Growing up I was taught that having pride in where you come from is important and I\u2019m immensely proud to be from Paisley and Renfrewshire.\n<\/p>\n
\n “I have always looked up to and admired the remarkable people this area has produced, and to think that my achievements will now become part of the town’s history is an incredible honour and a source of immense pride.\n<\/p>\n
\n “This all started with a boy who had a dream that he could make a difference, but there\u2019s so many people behind the scenes who helped make the challenges happen and I want to thank my family and friends for their support throughout.\n<\/p>\n
\n “I am deeply grateful for this recognition and will continue to champion Paisley and Renfrewshire wherever I can.”\n<\/p>\n
\n Lorraine Cameron, Provost of Renfrewshire, presented the award to Craig during a ceremony at Paisley Town Hall on Thursday, September 17.\n<\/p>\n
\n She said: “Craig’s commitment to raising awareness of mental health issues, supporting others, and inspiring people through his remarkable fundraising challenges has made a lasting impact both in Renfrewshire and far beyond.\n<\/p>\n
\n “Through his determination, resilience, and compassion, he has started important conversations, raised significant funds for charity, and shown that one person really can make a difference.\n<\/p>\n
\n “I am incredibly proud to award him the Freedom of Renfrewshire in recognition of his outstanding achievements and the positive difference he continues to make to people’s lives.”\n<\/p>\n
\n During the ceremony, a Provost\u2019s Distinction Certificate was also awarded to Matthew Allan, who supported Craig during his US walk.\n<\/p>\n
\n Matthew Allan and Provost Lorraine Cameron (Image: Renfrewshire Council)\n<\/p>\n
\n Provost Cameron praised Matthew\u2019s role, saying: “While Craig was walking across the country, Matthew was by his side every step of the way, providing a home on wheels and ensuring he had the food, rest and support needed to take on a challenge of this scale.\n<\/p>\n
\n “Craig\u2019s journey has always been about helping others and showing the importance of connection and support, and Matthew\u2019s friendship and commitment were an essential part of making that journey possible.”\n<\/p>\n
\n Matthew Allan, Provost Lorraine Cameron and Craig Ferguson (Image: Renfrewshire Council)\n<\/p>\n
\n Billy Watson, chief executive of SAMH, said: “What Craig has achieved is nothing short of extraordinary.\n<\/p>\n
\n Through all kinds of weather and conditions, he kept going with one goal in mind: to make a positive contribution to Scotland’s mental health.\n<\/p>\n
\n “The courage, commitment and resilience he showed to be able to walk all the way across America was amazing and we are deeply grateful to him, and to everyone that supported him along the way.\n<\/p>\n
\n “The money he raised will make a real difference by supporting The Nook, our national network of walk-in community mental health hubs.\n<\/p>\n
\n “The Nook means that people with mental health problems can ask once and get help fast.\n<\/p>\n
\n “No waiting lists, no referrals, no stigma\u2014just a safe, welcoming place to start getting help straightaway.\n<\/p>\n
\n “That’s the legacy of Craig’s Tartan Trek.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Craig Ferguson, from Paisley, received the region\u2019s highest civic honour, joining a very select group, as the honour…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":628813,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[103,61,60,410,411],"class_list":["post-628812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mental-health","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-mental-health","tag-mentalhealth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628812","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=628812"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628812\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/628813"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=628812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=628812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=628812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}