Young fundraisers conquer Ben Nevis
April Aitken and Jessica Williamson-Donald from Bellshill, North Lanarkshire, recently conquered the biggest mountain in the UK to raise vital funds for Children First.
The two girls aged just 8 and 9, who attend Lawmuir Primary School raised more than £1,240 for Scotland’s national children’s charity, smashing their original target of fundraising £200.
The money raised will go towards Children First’s work to protect children from harm and support them to recover from trauma.
Since the spring, April and Jessica have been climbing Munros named after their schoolhouses after deciding they wanted to raise money for a charity that protects all of Scotland’s children.
They completed their challenge at the end of September when they hiked all 4,411ft of Ben Nevis.
The two young fundraisers have also reached the summits of three other mountains - Ben Lomond, Ben Vorlich and Schiehallion – battling through all kinds of Scottish weather to achieve their goal.
April said: “We wanted to raise money for Children First because they are there for children who need help all around Scotland. When we got to the top of Ben Nevis I felt exhausted and tired but really proud. We had a presentation at our school assembly a few days after that which was really nice.”
The two adventurers are now setting their sights on bagging all 282 Munros across Scotland.
Jessica said: “Ben Nevis was hard-going and was so snowy at the top I could slide down! It was busy up there with lots of people. It felt very good when we reached the top. I want to climb all the other Munros in Scotland now.”
April’s mum Sara said: “I’m very proud of both the girls, they are superstars. Even though they were really tired on the way up they never thought of turning round, even when other people were. They were determined to keep going and make sure they raised the money for Children First.”
Jessica’s mum Tracy said: “Jessica and April did an absolutely amazing job. They practically skipped back down Ben Nevis. They kept going to climb all four Munros in all kinds of weather. We are all so proud of their achievement and delighted they’ve smashed their fundraising target.”
Mary Glasgow, chief executive of Children First said: "We cannot thank April and Jessica enough for their fantastic fundraising efforts and we truly admire their determination to reach the top of the biggest mountain in the UK.
“Every penny they have raised will go towards support children and families when they need it most.”
You can find out more about the range of exciting ways you can fundraise for Children First here: Fundraise for Charity | Children First