Big Davy brings anvil of love to its new home
The anvil which Arran man Davy Ballantyne dragged to the top of Goatfell is to have a new permanent home.
It is nearly a year since Big Davy completed the heroic charity feat and money is still pouring into his fundraising account which has now reached £15,679.
The Douglas Hotel has now secured the anvil after owner Sean Henry made a donation to the anvil charity and confirmed it will be used for wedding ceremonies at the hotel.
It currently sits on the ridge just above where the Goatfell paths converge for Brodick and Corrie, but should be off the hill by the end of the month.
Davy, with the help of Fraser Aitchison, dragged the 18.5 stone (120kg) anvil up the 2,866ft (874m) Goatfell over a period of 26 days to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) after his daughter Roisin was diagnosed with type one diabetes. He had initially hoped to raise £3,000. However his Herculean feat caught the public’s imagination and money poured in from all over the world. Why the anvil is on Goatfell is still discussed by hillwalkers today, as The Banner discovered on a recent climb.
This week, Davy confirmed he had been bringing the anvil down in stages when he had the time, saying he hoped to have it off the hill in two weeks.
After considerable speculation, Davy’s wife Annelies Slaats said they are pleased the anvil is to have a permanent home.
She said: ‘I’d rather have seen it stay at the top, but the offer of the Douglas is very generous and it will also hopefully bring more donations to the JDRF.’
It will not be the first time the anvil has been used in a wedding ceremony. Last June bride Dawn Anderson from Shiskine climbed Goatfell in her wedding dress and declared her undying love for new husband James Johnstone at the ‘anvil of love’.