Arran duo take on Arran summit climb challenge
Two adventurers will attempt to climb all the summits on Arran over 700 metres in one day.
Arran Mountain Rescue Team (AMRT) members Kirstie Smith and Lucy Wallace will be attempting the Arran 700s mountaineering challenge to raise £2,000 for the team and the Mulanje Mountain Rescue Team (MMRT) in Malawi.
The challenge will take place on Sunday May 14 and will see the two women climbing all five summits from Brodick to Pirnmill.
On Mulanje, the highest mountain in Malawi, mountain rescue services are particularly poor- ly funded, with team members risking their lives to save others with only rudimentary equipment and basic training. They also perform a vital service to their community, supporting others in times of crisis, in a country where there is little or no safety net. Natural disasters, such as the flooding in January 2015, where 200,000 people lost their homes, saw MMRT playing a key role on the front line.
The challenge has been organised by Lucy who, having previously raised funds for both Mulanje and AMRT by taking part in the Arran trig point challenge, delivered the funds for MMRT directly to them in Malawi during an expedition trip.
Having seen first hand the need for funds for essential life saving equipment, she recognises the desperate need as they have very little of anything and such a large number of callouts.
Both teams are run by volunteers and dependent on public donations to fund equipment and training. Volunteers give their time to help rescue those who are lost or injured in the mountains they love.
Kirstie said: ‘Lucy is the one that came up with the idea and I’m just delighted she has asked me to join her on the challenge to help raise as much money as we can for mountain rescue at home and away.
‘We both want to raise funds for our own team and for MMRT as they both rely so heavily on fundraising and donations to keep running and saving lives.’
All the money raised by the crowdfunding project will be shared between Arran MRT and MMRT.
If you would like to support Lucy and Kirstie in their fundraising a Just-Giving page has been set up at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/Arran700s where donations will be greatly appreciated.