Child abuse survivor from Perthshire to run marathon in aid of children's charity

Former Edinburgh Academy pupil (62) to run London Marathon for NSPCC.

A child abuse survivor from Perthshire will push himself to the limit to help stop other children going through the suffering he endured.

Nial Mackinlay will run the London Marathon in April for the NSPCC as part of a team of eight men and women from across the UK, Spain and the USA.

The 62-year-old was a pupil at Edinburgh Academy during the 1970s, where he was abused by two masters.

Nial, who lives in the Kinloch Rannoch area, thought what happened to him when aged nine was “locked in a box forever” until July 2022, when he heard the broadcaster Nicky Campbell – who had been in the year above him at the school – speak publicly about his own experience of abuse there.

He said: “After listening to the podcast I spoke to Nicky, and he confirmed that the teacher he’d talked about was also my abuser.

“It was like someone had punched me in the stomach.

“The floodgates burst open.

“It was a hugely emotional phone call which I will never forget.”

The abuse Nial suffered meant he has had difficulty trusting people and maintaining relationships.

He decided to take on the marathon, despite never having run before, after trekking last year to Everest Base Camp with ‘Team Uprising’ – a group of child abuse survivors and supporters who raised more than £50,000 for the NSPCC.

Funds raised through the London Marathon run will support NSPCC services including Childline, the charity’s free counselling service for children; the adult helpline for reporting concerns about a child; and the charity’s educational programmes, such as ‘Talk PANTS’ and ‘Speak out Stay safe’, which aim to help prevent child abuse and neglect.

Keen hillwalker Nial said: “Childline didn’t exist when I was at school.

“Most of us literally told no one, including our parents, because of the shame and embarrassment.

“We were taught to always respect our elders - we had no idea that what was happening to us was sexual abuse.

“We thought it was in some way ‘normal’ because one of the elder generation was subjecting us to it.

“If my fundraising can help just one child then it’s more than worth it. I want to help other children avoid having to go through what I have been through.”

NSPCC Scotland head of supporter fundraising, Paul Cockram, said: “We are delighted that members of ‘Team Uprising’ continues to raise funds for the NSPCC and we’d like to thank them for all their efforts.

“Many of the team have never run before and the London Marathon is no small feat - we really admire them for taking on this massive challenge for us.

“Voluntary donations make up about 90 per cent of our funding in Scotland so without people’s generous support we would be unable to continue to deliver Childline and many more services that contribute towards helping to keep children safe.”

Young people looking for support can contact Childline on 0800 1111 or visit Childline.org.uk. Childline is available to all young people until their 19th birthday.

Any adult concerned about a child can contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 or email help@NSPCC.org.uk.

People should call the police on 999 straight away if they think a child is in immediate danger.

• See https://www.justgiving.com/team/uprisingmarathon