Clambering through a muddy obstacle course together may seem like an unusual form of mother and son bonding.
But it was the perfect sort of quality time for a pair of north-east mums and their boisterous boys yesterday, as they tested out the tricky series of mud slides, nets and hay bales which comprise the Glack Attack challenge at Dunecht.
Hundreds have already signed up to take part in the 5k “mud run”, which will raise money for the Friends of Anchor cancer charity next month.
Aberdeen mum Sarah Robertson, who runs the Little Monsters soft-play centre on Berryden Road, has signed up along with her 11-year-old son, Aiden.
Aiden’s seven-year-old brother, Millar, will complete an accompanying “mini run” on the day.
As a special treat, they were given the opportunity to try out some of the 29 challenging contraptions which line the site yesterday, one month ahead of the run taking place.
Mrs Robertson said they would undertake the challenge in honour of her father, Murray Robertson, who received support from Friends of Anchor prior to his death in 2014.
She said: “Aiden loves obstacle courses and has been desperate to do some sort of mud run, so he is delighted there’s one happening locally that he can take part in.
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“The boys’ grandad passed away four years ago from cancer and Friends of Anchor helped him a great deal while he was in the Anchor Unit at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
“Aiden was really close to his granda, so he’s eager to raise money for the charity and is looking forward to being involved.”
Insch mum Abigail Burnwood and 10-year-old son Finn also took part in the trial run.
The 41-year-old, who works as an active schools coordinator, praised organisers for letting children over the age of eight tackle the full 5km course for the first time this year.
She said: “Finn is very excited for the run, he’s pretty active and enjoys being outside, so he’s happy to be able to do the 5km adult course.”
More than 700 people have signed up for the 5km challenge, which will take place on Saturday, October 27.
The shorter “mini run” will cater to children aged between three and seven. A limited number of spaces remain for both, and people can sign up by emailing anchor@balmoral.co.uk