A brave fundraiser will take on the challenge of climbing 12 munros in 36 hours despite being diagnosed with Parkinson’s three years ago.
Andy Munro, from Newton Mearns, will climb the munros north of Glen Shiel to raise funds and awareness of the charity Cure Parkinson’s, who are continuing to research how to slow, stop and ultimately reverse the disease.
He had always dreamed of following in the footsteps of his 85-year-old dad Jimmy by climbing all 282 Munros – Scottish mountains over 3,000ft.
However, in 2021, Andy was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at the age of 49 but he has vowed to not let his diagnosis stop him.
Andy, who grew up in Burnside, said: “I’m looking forward to spending time in this beautiful, rugged and remote area, with jaw-dropping views (weather permitting).
“Obviously I’m a little apprehensive.
“It’s a huge challenge and we’ll need to call on all the stamina we have, but I can’t wait.”
At the time of diagnosis, Andy had already completed around 100 munros, and with lots still to climb, he has decided to try and knock off 12 within 36 hours.
He won’t be taking on this challenge alone as he will have the Glen Shiel warriors by his side, close friends Alan Wilkinson, Gary Miller, Neil Gourlay and Richie Vannett.
The group have been meticulously planning their route and organising the logistics to make sure they can summit all 12 in the limited time.
They are also making sure that they’re all physically fit enough to take on the challenge, with Andy joining his local gym and going on more hikes.
Andy’s gym has also been helping his challenge by holding fundraising events such as a 24-hour step-a-thon.
While stepping closer to his dream of climbing every munro, Andy hopes he can show that having Parkinson’s doesn’t mean his dreams need to end.
He said: “I want to help while proving to myself that big challenges are still possible.”
Helen Matthews, CEO of Cure Parkinson’s, is very grateful for the fundraising efforts of Andy and the Glen Warriors.
She said: “Fundraising support is absolutely critical for the charity to enable us to achieve our goal.
“We aim to cure Parkinson’s and the only way we will do this is through the help of all our incredible supporters – it’s as simple as that.”
To find out more about the challenge you can visit https://www.justgiving.com/team/glenshielwarriors
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