Two Aberdeenshire teenage brothers have climbed Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for a charity set up in memory of a kayaker they knew who died after going missing at sea.
The family of Dominic Jackson, 35, set up PLanB to promote safety planning for outdoor adventures and the use of personal locator beacons (PLBs) after his untimely death in February.
Mr Jackson was reported missing on Sunday, February 5 after he failed to return from a kayaking trip off Portsoy – four days later, his body was found in water near Lybster, about 50 miles away.
Originally from Uckfield near Brighton, Mr Jackson had moved to Aberdeenshire where he was running a gardening business in the Laurencekirk area.
Brothers Harvey Dick-Reid, 17, and Archie Dick-Reid, 14, knew Mr Jackson through his work at their home at Fasque Castle estate in Fettercairn, and they were keen to raise money for PLanB.
The boys have so far raised more than £1,200 through climbing Africa’s highest peak on a trip with their school Lathallan – meaning the total raised to date for the charity has now reached £20,000.
Their mother Heather Dick-Reid said: “Our children were quite familiar with Dom through his work at the estate. He was always just a really lovely man who we were really fond of.
“The boys had already committed to the climb last year and we realised it was an opportunity for them to raise some money and they both said they wanted to raise some money for PLanB.
“Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro was a really great achievement, particularly because they are so young.”
The boys, who were part of a group of 18 pupils, set off at midnight on July 14 and reached the 5,895m summit of the Tanzanian mountain around nine hours later.
The family of Mr Jackson, who was one of six siblings, believe a PLB could have saved his life and they have urged people to consider using one.
A PLB is a small, lightweight and wearable device which, when activated, transmits a powerful signal using radio frequencies and satellite tracking, enabling emergency services to pinpoint the person’s location to within a few metres.
Mr Jackson’s sister Ellie Jackoson, who has now moved to the UK to launch the charity said: “I want others to learn from Dom and plan their adventure properly – getting the right skills, going with someone or part of a group, carrying the right gear and letting someone know where and when you are going are all part of having a plan B.
“My brother was already missing for 36 hours before the alarm was raised as he hadn’t let anyone know he was going out that day.
“It is such a senseless waste of a kind-hearted and genuine man and his loss has devastated his family and friends.”
Visit www.planbcharity.org for more information.
