The Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF) has announced that Catholic faithful in Benbecula have taken what it tagged a “Big Lent Walk for Water this Lent.”
The official aid and development agency of the Catholic Church in Scotland disclosed that “They’ve pledged to walk 20 miles during Lent” adding that “no matter the weather” in the Outer Hebrides, “This works out at three miles a day until Easter Sunday.”
The Lenten Walkers on Stinky Bay, Benbecula, which overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. Credit: SCIAF
Established in 1965, SCIAF now works in eight countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America and assisting vulnerable people.
Big Lent Walk for Water this Lent: The Benbecula Experience
“Thank you to this group of fabulous people in Benbecula for taking on the Big Lent Walk for Water this Lent,” SCIAF noted.
The international charity detailed that the participants went to “mix up locations: beaches, hills, and local pavements” and “sometimes they walk in groups, but mainly they’ve been taking on the challenge solo.”
Voices from the Outer Outer Hebrides, Reflections about the Lenten Walk
Expressing how they felt, Seonag MacRury stated, “During my walk for SCIAF, I often think about the people who walk many miles every day just to collect water.”
According to her, “My walk usually lasts about 60 minutes, but for them it is a daily struggle. It helped me understand why supporting charities and helping others is so important.”
Speaking further, MacRury noted that, “Our first walk was at 4 pm on Ash Wednesday. It was a very wet day. Greta, Calum, Catriona and I left Liniclate School and walked towards the Greagorry Co-op. We managed to walk 3.5 miles. I can’t say it was an enjoyable walk because the weather was so bad.
“In fact, it was probably the worst day we had. I remember going to Mass at 7 pm still in my wet clothes, freezing and shivering. But if that was meant to put me off, I’m afraid it didn’t.”
Reflecting on her experience so far, Catriona Carlin stated that “I was fortunate enough to have been brought up in the schoolhouse in Eriskay where we had running water and proper plumbing. Most houses on the island, however, did not have that privilege and so there were lots of wells on the island. Hence, I have experienced the task, with friends, of having to walk to the well, collect water and carry it home in a bucket.”
She narrated that, “With it being March in the Western Isles, the weather has not been very favourable! We have got soaked to the skin and we’ve battled against sharp winds. Having said that, it has been quite exhilarating and there’s a certain satisfaction in battling the elements for a good cause!
Carlin stressed that “Because of this, it is perhaps easier for the likes of me to be in solidarity with the people of Ethiopia, and elsewhere, who have to walk many miles each day for water in much more challenging conditions than here.”
A side view of the first phase of the Lenten Walk. Credit: SCIAF
The parish priest of St. Mary’s in Benbecula, Canon Michael Hutson, who is also the Vicar General of Argyll and the Isles Diocese, currently serves as a board member of SCIAF.
2026 WEE BOX Appeal to Support Water Needs in Ethiopia
Through the 2026 WEE BOX Appeal, launched on Ash Wednesday (February 18, 2026), with a major focus on supporting communities in Ethiopia, the funds raised will assist people in Ethiopia facing extreme poverty and food shortages, specifically by helping to bring clean, safe water to rural communities, improving sanitation, and supporting women and children.
Accordingly, donations can be made directly through the SCIAF website, through parish/school appeals across Scotland, or by texting SCIAF to 70580.
