The Bard #2, the World Cup, and a Man Walking 3,000 Miles for Scotland

The Bard #2 is a Burns-inspired anthem about Scotland, its people, and the spirit that follows the national team wherever it goes. The World Cup Special Edition is a family-friendly version of the track, available as a standalone single from the Finn Moray shop for £2. The original version, with all its edges intact, sits on the debut album AON: THE CALL.

The song was selected as the official World Cup anthem of the Scottish Football Supporters Association following a partnership announced in January 2026. The SFSA, co-founded by Paul Goodwin, represents the voice of Scotland’s football supporters and has worked alongside Finn Moray to bring the song to the Tartan Army ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The search for a live singer to front The Bard #2 at the tournament is ongoing. SFSA members have been invited to nominate candidates, and the selected vocalist will participate in a profit-share arrangement linked to song activity. Full details of the nomination process can be found in the original announcement.

Craig Ferguson is a Paisley-based mental health campaigner. In 2024, he completed a 1,000-mile walk from Glasgow to Munich ahead of the European Championships, passing through six countries and raising more than £70,000 for the Brothers in Arms men’s mental health charity, before being greeted by cheering fans on arrival in Germany. Now he is doing it again, on a different scale entirely.

The Tartan Trek began on 23 February 2026 at Santa Monica Pier, Los Angeles. Craig is walking 3,000 miles coast-to-coast to Boston, completing a full marathon every day for 104 consecutive days. He is wearing a kilt, carrying a Saltire, and wearing a St Christopher necklace for protection. His friend Matt Allan is driving the support vehicle. The target is to reach Boston by 14 June, in time for Scotland’s opening match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Training for the Tartan Trek was intensive, with Craig covering between 100 and 120 kilometres each week, alongside gym sessions of up to four days a week. The kilt is a deliberate choice. Craig has said it gives him a strong sense of motivation and personal empowerment, as well as being a powerful symbol of his connection to Scotland.

He is doing it to raise £1,000,000 for SAMH (Scottish Action for Mental Health), Scotland’s leading mental health charity. SAMH delivers more than 70 services across Scotland and supports over 28,000 people every year. The charity also runs The Nook by SAMH, a growing national network of walk-in mental health hubs offering free, immediate support without appointments, referrals, or waiting lists.

Craig’s motivation is personal. He was inspired to undertake this journey following his own experience of mental health challenges, and in tribute to friends and loved ones who have been affected. His best friend Struan’s dad, Russell, took his own life when Craig was in his early teens. That loss shaped everything that followed.

Speaking about the challenge, Craig said: “I’d be naïve to think this is going to be a walk in the park. This challenge is three times the size of anything I’ve taken on before, physically and mentally, but that’s exactly what makes it so special. For me, it’s about pushing through, overcoming the challenge, and making it to the finish line in one piece. I chose to support SAMH because mental health causes are incredibly important to me, and I wanted to open up the conversation on a much bigger scale.”

Billy Watson, Chief Executive at SAMH, said: “Craig’s Tartan Trek captures exactly what SAMH stands for: courage, compassion and taking action when it matters most. The funds raised through this challenge will help us continue to provide accessible, community-based mental health support across Scotland, including through initiatives like The Nook.”

Hazel McIlwraith, Director of Fundraising and Major Appeal at SAMH, added: “Craig is using this challenge to shine a light on mental health, to show people that it’s okay to ask for help, and to raise vital funds that will directly support our life-saving services across Scotland. We are immensely proud to support him on this journey.”

You can follow Craig’s progress and donate to The Tartan Trek at thetartantrek.co.uk or via JustGiving.

As of mid-April 2026, Craig is on Day 48 of the Tartan Trek and has crossed into Kansas, having already walked through California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado. He is roughly halfway across the United States, with approximately 56 days and 1,500 miles still ahead of him before reaching Boston.

The journey has not been straightforward. Craig has walked through desert heat, mountain passes, and the vast open plains of the American Midwest. But the daily routine holds: wake up, walk a marathon, rest, repeat. Every single day.

You can follow Craig’s daily updates on his Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook pages, where he posts video updates from the road. The support from Scotland and beyond has been growing with every mile.

Finn Moray exists to create music with meaning and to return value to Scottish communities. SAMH is already one of the good causes supported through the Social Compact, and Craig Ferguson’s Tartan Trek represents exactly the kind of initiative this project was built to stand behind.

The Bard #2 is a song about Scotland. The Tartan Trek is a walk for Scotland. Both carry the same conviction: that the people of this country, wherever they are in the world, still look out for each other. Craig isn’t a celebrity. He’s a young man from Paisley who decided to do something about something that matters. That’s exactly the kind of person Finn Moray wants to stand behind.

If you want to support the cause, there are three things you can do right now. Buy The Bard #2 World Cup Special Edition from the Finn Moray shop. Donate to The Tartan Trek. And share this story.