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Lord Provost gets in a spin by braving tarantula terror in charity challenge

Aberdeen Lord Provost Barney Crocket faced his fear of tarantulas with Wynford Farm Park's Jenny Neil and Ucan manager Gayle Stephen. Picture by Norman Adam / Aberdeen City Council
Aberdeen Lord Provost Barney Crocket faced his fear of tarantulas with Wynford Farm Park's Jenny Neil and Ucan manager Gayle Stephen. Picture by Norman Adam / Aberdeen City Council

Aberdeen’s Lord Provost came face to face with his greatest fear yesterday – an eight-legged little lady named Tara.

Barney Crockett put on a brave face to help raise money for urological cancer support at Wynford Farm Park in Kingswells.

While some sidled up to snakes or cuddled a cockroach, the city’s ceremonial leader signed up to get tickled by a tarantula.

In total more than 100 adults and children braved the beasties as part of the park’s fundraising weekend for Ucan.

And as well as generating for the urological cancer charity, the wide range of events – which included a treasure hunt, ferret racing and a ‘guess the tortoise weight’ stall – helped to drum up much-needed publicity for the cause.

Wynford Farm Park development manager Stephen Harcus said the weekend went “fantastically”.

“It was not just about raising money but awareness too and the amount of people we had coming to face their fears was great,” he said.

“The lord provost did very well.

“Because he was getting his photo taken it all happened quite fast so there was a tarantula on him before he knew it, which is probably the best way it could have happened.”

Mr Crockett admitted it was a “bit of a thought” to go through with the challenge.

He said: “I have always been not too keen on spiders and such things but it was for a good cause and it was great to see the teams from Ucan and the park together.

“Ucan has a tremendous reputation across the whole country and does pioneering work in Aberdeen.

“It has been a big inspiration to me for a long time and it’s fantastic to have been involved in this.”

While urological cancers are more common in men, they can also affect women.

Affecting the prostate, bladder, kidney, testicles or genitals, they make up one in three of all male cancers, and one in five of all diagnoses.

For more information visit ucanaberdeen.com