A team of adventurers has completed one of the most daunting mountaineering challenges in the UK in memory of a father who died after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease.
Ross Horne from Portlethen and his climbing crew have raised more than £4,000 for charity after conquering the Three Peaks Challenge, which tasks hikers with reaching the summit of the three tallest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales.
Yet, to make the already intimidating feat even more difficult, the team also decided to travel between Snowdon, Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis by sea.
Mr Horne, along with Bruce Horne, Douglas Kyles, Niall Shannon, Adam Lansdown and William Shannon made the journey along the west coast of the UK by boat between all of the mountains last week.
They also cycled from the shoreline to the base of the three challenging mountains.
The determined fundraisers completed the endeavour in just a week, despite delays from poor weather causing dangerous conditions both at land and at sea.
The team will split their cash between three causes, Project Scotland, which helps young people into volunteering roles, the charity Lippen Care, and Motor Neurone Disease Scotland, which supports people affected by the debilitating condition.
Mr Horne and the rest of the climbers took on the challenge in memory of Gordon Orr, the father of his partner Nicki Orr.
Mr Orr was diagnosed with MND in January 2016, and died in April last year.
Mr Horne, who works as a teacher, said he wanted to raise cash for MND Scotland for the work it does to support people like Mr Orr, and the Lippen Care charity who arranged for Mr Orr to be driven to hospital for treatment.
The 31-year-old said: “It was a fantastic experience, but the one thing I wish we could have changed was how much we underestimated the sailing distance because it was a lot longer than we thought.
“We are just ecstatic that we’ve raised so much money already and hit our target of £4,000 for these worthy causes, but we are hoping to make even more.”
To find out more and to donate, visit www.uk.virginmoneygiving.com and search for “Ross Horne”.
