A great-grandmother-of-four, 90, has raised more than £45,000 for the NHS after pledging to climb the equivalent of a 2,400ft Scottish Highland mountain up and down her stairs at home.
Margaret Payne of Ardvar, Assynt, in Sutherland set herself the challenge of climbing the stairs until she ascended the same height as Suilven near Lochinver, which stands at 2,398 feet.
She calculated that climbing the 17 steps on her staircase represents around 8.5 feet and she will have to repeat the process 282 times in total – something she thinks could take two months.
Mrs Payne started the challenge on Easter Sunday, notching up three flights before lunch, towards her initial target of raising £10,000 for the NHS and Highland Hospice.
By 10am she had raised over £37,000, which, with gift aid, made more than £45,000.
Her incredible effort was inspired by Second World War hero Captain Tom Moore.
The 99-year-old has captured the imagination of the public during the coronavirus lockdown by walking 100 laps of his garden and finished his 2,530-yard trek at his home in the Bedfordshire village of Marston Moretaine with a huge smile yesterday.
Great-grandmother Margaret Payne has set herself the challenge of climbing the stairs until she ascended the same height as Suilven near Lochinver, which stands at 2,398 feet
Captain Tom Moore as he completes the 100th length of his back garden in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire, yesterday. He inspired Mrs Payne
He has so far raised more than £18million for the NHS through his JustGiving page.
Mrs Payne was inspired by the veteran and said the stair climb is her way of thanking the ‘absolutely wonderful’ NHS staff, and carers at Highland Hospice, who took care of her husband, Jim, before his death at Christmas.
After donations passed her target, she said: ‘I wasn’t expecting anything like it – 10,000 thank yous.’
‘It’s brilliant of them all and I feel the NHS really deserve it. They have been amazing. Each day they are risking their lives.’
On her Virgin Money Giving page, she wrote: ‘At 90 I am planning to climb the equivalent of Suilven……2,398 feet.. in stairs at Ardvar. That’s 17 stairs, a flight being 8 1/2 feet each time. 282 times total is my challenge. I think it is going to take me about two months!
‘I first climbed Suilven in 1944 aged 15 with my sister Elizabeth from Glencanisp, Lochinver, during the war.
‘I have now lived in the Highlands for over 40 years and I would like to raise funds to support the NHS in particular at this difficult time and especially in return for the extraordinary support we have received personally at Ardvar. In addition we are giving some support to the Highland Hospice.
Mrs Payne started the challenge on Easter Sunday, notching up three flights before lunch, and thinks it could take her two months to complete it
Her daughter Nicky McArthur believes the fresh air of north-west Scotland has helped keep her mother healthy
‘Here we go.. starting Easter Sunday…. 3 flights before lunch today. Raining and windy outside but warm going up and down the stairs!
A spokeswoman for Highland Hospice said: ‘We’re delighted to have Margaret’s support, especially as her late husband was such a fantastic ambassador for Highland Hospice.
‘Their daughter Nicky recently travelled all the way from New Zealand for her father’s memorial service and has been at home ever since because of the lockdown.
‘She’ll be cheering on her mum all the way, and so will we.’
Her daughter Nicky McArthur believes the fresh air of north-west Scotland has helped keep her mother healthy, adding: ‘Mum is still incredibly active. She is an avid reader and crossword-doer. I think part of it is just staying interested in life.’
You can show Margaret your support by visiting her fundraising page at virginmoneygiving.com/MargaretPayneArdvar-SuilvenChallenge
The Duke of Cambridge praised Captain Moore for his fundraising efforts during an interview on BBC Breakfast this morning
He has so far raised more than £18million for the NHS through his JustGiving page – with £5million raised in the last 24 hours alone – and has been lauded for his actions with Boris Johnson ‘s official spokesman last night hinting at a possible knighthood for the war veteran
Suilven has captured many people’s imaginations.
Legendary climber Sir Chris Bonington named Suilven as the mountain that most shaped his life for top travel guide Wanderlust.
The mountain was also immortalised in the film Edie, in which Sheila Hancock stars as an octogenarian who makes a life changing decision to climb its steep, remote slopes.
Sir Chris, who briefly became the oldest known person to summit Mount Everest in April 1985, at the age of 50, placed Suilven at the top of the mountains that shaped his career.
‘Suilven is a long whaleback of a mountain, but when you approach it from the west you just see the end of it – an absolutely perfect peak, with a great sandstone buttress. The sandstone peaks here are basically ones that weren’t worn away by the last Ice Age, rising out of this wild rolling landscape of bog and bare granite,’ he said.
‘I first climbed Suilven back when I was 17 and it is one of the most magical days I have ever had.
‘It was my second holiday in Scotland, just after I had discovered climbing, and I went up with a friend. We carried our rucksacks, hitchhiked, and bivvied most of the time. I remember sleeping in the ruins of Ardvreck Castle – it was the only thing with a roof on it for miles – before we set off from Lochinver to climb Suilven. We tried following a route, which wasn’t every good, so we ended up climbing a new route.
‘The views from the top of Suilven were incredible. To the south there was a big, wide loch, dotted with islands. That day captured everything that I love about climbing and inspired me to keep doing it – the sense of exploration, the beauty of the mountains themselves, as well as the experience of really stretching yourself in the process.’