Scotland age-grade cap and Stirling County scrum-half Rebekah Douglas will be swapping her rugby boots for her trainers on Sunday to raise vital awareness of mental health.
Twenty-four-hours after playing for County in the Arnold Clark Women’s Premiership clash with Watsonians on Saturday, the 21-year-old will be in the capital for the Edinburgh Kiltwalk.
“I’ll be taking part in the ‘Big Stroll’ part of the Kiltwalk which is 11 miles and I’ll be doing it alongside my family which makes it even more special,” Douglas explained.
“We’re all doing it together to raise money and awareness for Change Mental Health.
“Mental health is something that means a lot to me.
“I’ve sadly lost friends because of mental health and I think it’s so important that people feel like they can speak up and get support when they need it.
“I wanted to do something positive to raise money and also help bring more awareness to it so that is why I chose Change Mental Health.”
The Kiltwalk is Scotland’s largest mass participation walking event with over 240,000 people taking part since 2016.
Meanwhile, Change Mental Health are striving for a future where no one needs to face mental illness alone.
The charity provides transformational support for people ensuring that everyone has the access to the support they need when they need it and in a way which works best for them.
Change Mental Health are seeking to change society by changing attitudes, fighting stigma and influencing government to ensure a better quality of life for those affected by mental illness.
Douglas grew up in Livingston and started playing rugby at Livingston RFC in 2017.
“I was about 12 when I first started and pretty much fell in love with the sport from there,” she said.
“I then moved to Edinburgh Harlequins and then Corstorphine Cougars where I won the Premiership in 2024/25. I moved to Stirling County in 2025 and that’s where I’m playing my club rugby now. I’ve also been involved with Glasgow Warriors over the last few seasons in the Celtic Challenge and play university rugby for Heriot-Watt.
“Stirling is a really good club to be part of, it’s competitive and everyone wants to perform and there’s a really good group of girls and a strong team environment.
“Last season we went unbeaten and won the league so hopefully we can keep building on that.
“In terms of representative rugby, I represented Scotland under-18s in 2023 and have since been involved within the Scotland under-20 and 21 programme.
“This season, personally I just want to keep developing as a scrum-half, get as much game time as possible and keep pushing myself towards playing at the highest level I can.
“I want to have a strong season with Stirling and hopefully keep progressing within the representative pathway as well.”
Support Rebekah Douglas’ efforts here.
Rebekah Douglas is pictured
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