Three young men who provoked outrage by littering Ben Nevis during a charity stunt, have made amends by staging another highly appropriate fundraiser.
They walked from Glasgow to London pulling a wheelie bin as a measure of their contrition.
Glasgow-based Matt Blake, 20, and friends Jay Bell, 23, and Ramon Valenti, 24, both from Coatbridge, hit the headlines earlier this year after they tramped up the ben carrying a wooden bench as part of a stunt in aid of Children’s Hospice Association Scotland (Chas).
But they sparked an outcry from mountaineers and conservationists by cementing the bench on the summit, and leaving it behind along with a big bag of rubbish.
The stunned trio then hauled a wheelie bin up the mountain to collect their rubbish and any other litter on the way.
After they took the heavy load back down and disposed of the trash, they decided they would raise more cash by wheeling the bin 410 miles from Glasgow to London – this time with their tent and sleeping bags inside.
The group was shocked by the fuss they had caused.
One mountaineer even walked to the top of the Ben, sawed the bench into 27 pieces and carried it back down to the bottom.
They set off for London on August 8 and finished the challenge on Saturday – achieving their aim of completing it in under one month.
Mr Blake, whose mother’s side of the family are originally from Stornoway, said: “We went back up Ben Nevis and collected rubbish to prove a point, and this is where the idea for the latest challenge came from.
“We all had to take a month off work for this and we were not getting paid. But it was all worth it in the end.
“The reaction from literally everyone when they saw the wheelie bin was priceless, especially when we were occasionally having to get across motorways.
“There were a lot of ups and downs along the way. Some days it was very sore because we are not experienced walkers.
“It was an amazing experience and we met a lot of amazing people – it’s something we will never forget.”
He added: “We were totally gutted with the reaction before because it was for charity. It was a hand built bench and it was heavy taking it up but we just assumed that people would like a wee bench at the top.
“It was pretty shocking the backlash we got but don’t get me wrong, there were plenty people out there who supported us too.”
The money raised goes towards the Robin House Children’s Hospice, which is part of Chas.
To donate visit
https://www.justgiving.com/wiretime/