Calling all Kirstys

DUMFRIES and Galloway is the epicentre of the name Kirsty, it appears.

And all the many Kirstys (or Kirsties) in this region are being urged to put their name to a viral campaign.

Young Kirsty Waugh from Kent has set up the mynameiskirsty.com website and is trying to track down all of her namesakes across the country.

The 11-year-old and her family have so far found over 6000 other Kirstys worldwide - and they also discovered Dumfries and Galloway is a particular hotspot for the name after 68 of them logged on.

Dad Mat said: "We've found 6400 Kirstys worldwide (including one in Antarctica!) but the vast majority of them are in the UK.

"When I did some analysis, I found that although the number and density of Kirstys skew north of the border as you might expect, Dumfries and Galloway comes out a clear winner. We've found many, many more Kirstys in D&G than we'd expect for the population.

"Is it because there are more to be found? Are they kinder and more responsive in your area?! Who knows!"

The original Kirsty has a brain tumour and wants to gather together a community of Kirsties, 'friends of Kirsty', to show they care about kids who are going through this, and also raise money for brain tumour research.

As people sign up, they are plotted on a map on the website.

The response so far has been 'stratospheric', but she wants to keep going and reach as many as she can while helping raise vital funds for OSCAR’s Paediatric Brain Tumour Charity.

It's keeping her busy while she goes through 80 weeks of gruelling chemotherapy treatment, following her diagnosis in November 2024.

She said: “Treatment is tough for all kids with brain tumours: I’ve lost a lot of hair, had blood transfusions, gone to hospital a lot, and that’s why research needs to be done to find kinder treatments.

"Only 3p in every £100 of government funding into cancer research goes to help children like me.”

Proud dad Mat added: “Every time a Kirsty or a supporter is added to the map, and every donation made, gives Kirsty a lift.

"It's such a difficult time for her and us as a family. It is amazing that she will be responsible for helping to fund research, but it is doubly-amazing that people are taking time out to think of her and put a big smile on her face when she needs it most.”

* People named Kirsty or Kirstie locally can add themselves to the campaign via: www.mynameiskirsty.com