A group of men in their 60s will be taking on the West Highland Way in memory of their friend and brother who died from cancer.
Stuart Fraser died last September at the age of 67 after a battle with prostate cancer.
Now his brother Garry alongside 14 friends – whose ages add up to 1,000 – will be taking on the famous walking challenge in his memory.
Mr Fraser, 65, said: “There are people coming from Canada, Switzerland and Singapore to do this hike. They’re all Stuart’s closest friends.
“So, it’s all the Dundee guys getting back together to do the charity walk for Stuart.
“The charity was very good with Stuart when he wasn’t very well, he got great support from Prostate Cancer UK.”
The group has called themselves Stu’s Band of Brothers, as they are all brothers to Stuart either “through blood, or through friendship” Mr Fraser explained.
They set a target of £30,000, and have so far raised almost £10,500 for the charity on their JustGiving Page.
Walk has become ‘more significant’ for brother
The group had been planning to do the walk in 2020 when they were unable to get together due to Covid restrictions.
However, Stuart, who was from Dundee, was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in February that year and it became clear to the group he would not be able to participate.
Due to Covid, he couldn’t have chemotherapy treatment because it would have affected his immune system.
For his brother, the walk has become “even more important” to the group.
He said: “Even before he died we had planned the walk but it’s definitely taken more significance and we’re even more anxious to raise funds for the charity.
“We’re doing it in memory of him, which is the main thing.”
Mr Fraser has completed the 94-mile walk twice before and knows it will be a “big challenge”.
He said the team members are all training in their own ways but believes they will all be ready to go for it by May.
The West Highland Way stretches from Milngavie to Fort William and the group plan on taking six days to complete it.
Mr Fraser said they are all looking forward to a “good week in the hills” and to be raising money for a good cause.
“We’re all here for one cause, and that’s for Stuart,” he explained. “He’s probably up there looking down on us saying ‘yeah, well done guys’ with a big thumbs up.”
