Two brothers are preparing to take on a mountain of a challenge by living on top of Ben Nevis for a week in aid of the Archie Foundation.
Alex Robbie, who works at John Clark Commercials in Dyce, and his soldier brother James will be roughing it at the peak of the UK’s highest mountain for a week, starting on August 2.
There, the pair will be soliciting donations from curious climbers with their Archie charity buckets.
And to accompany their stay, a music group from Kirriemuir named DD8 will be showing their support by scaling Ben Nevis and performing the UK’s highest gig.
Alex, 35, said: “The reason we picked Ben Nevis is because people won’t throw money at you for doing it on Scotland’s third-highest mountain, if you’re going to do something wacky it has to be the highest.
“I had actually planned to do the stunt alone, thinking that perhaps my younger brother James was the more sensible of the pair of us, but when I ran it past him his eyes lit up.
“Him being in the Royal Engineers means we get ration packs and get to borrow these enormously warm sleeping bags that he used to sleep in in the Falklands.”
The pair, who are originally from Kirriemuir, have a long-term family association with Ben Nevis. In 1984 their late father and his friends scaled the mountain in a restored MKI Landrover over the course of five days, a feat that has yet to be repeated.
Alex continued: “On the very summit is what they call the emergency shelter, and if that’s available every night that will be our home, but if it’s occupied we’re going to be using the sleeping bags and spend the night under the stars.
“It’s a busy, busy summit, you get around 500 people climbing Ben Nevis a day, so we’re hoping to raise as much as possible through jingling our Archie buckets at the top, as well as with sponsorship.”
Funds raised from the trip will go towards the Archie Foundation’s work to support young patients at the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital and their families.
The charity’s High 10 for Archie appeal has identified 10 steps that a sick child makes on their journey through the hospital – and is raising funds for the improvements needed to make it better.
To support the brothers on their fundraising adventure go to www.justgiving.com/Alex-James-Robbie – or prepare for a big climb.