Margaret Payne follows in Captain Tom’s shoes
Margaret Payne is one of the latest elderly champions we are seeing pop up on the news! The 90 year old lady from Ardvar in Sutherland is wanting to raise money for the NHS at this difficult time. She is also raising funds for a more local charity, The Highland Hospice.
Margaret set herself the challenge of climbing the equivalent of a mountain on her stairs at home. She aims to climb the height of Scottish Highland mountain Suliven that stands at 2,398 ft. Margaret has worked out that this will be 282 trips up the stairs in her home. She has tackled the actual mountain before in her life and so wants to re-create this moment from home.
So why this mountain?
Margaret came up with this idea just before Easter. She wanted to tackle this particular mountain as she lived in the Highlands for over 40 years. Margaret has some wonderful memories from there. She has worked out that the challenge should take her around 2 months to complete.
This remarkable woman started her ascent on Easter Sunday. Climbing the stairs three times, she got off to a great start.
She was inspired by the wonderful Captain Tom and his incredible fund-raising efforts. He has now exceeded £27 million in fund raising!
Margaret has set up her own fund-raising site setting herself a target of raising £10,000. She is doing this for the NHS and The Highland Hospice.
These two charities in particular are very close to her heart. She wants to thank the NHS for everything they are doing during the pandemic. However, they also helped look after her husband who she sadly lost in January. The Highland Hospice also did an incredible job of taking care of Jim at the end of his life.
Not surprisingly, since launching the appeal, Mrs Payne has surpassed her initial target. However, she never dreamt to exceed it by so much! To date Margaret has raised an incredible £292,000 for the NHS and hospice.
How is she tackling the challenge?
Margaret is taking on the stairs first thing when she is ready in a morning and then again throughout the day.
“My husband died at Christmas and the NHS were absolutely wonderful. So it was a way of saying thank you.
“It brings back memories of when I first climbed Suliven in 1944 with my sister Elizabeth.”
You can donate to Mrs Payne’s Suliven climb here.
If you are needing any help in your own home during this pandemic then do not hesitate to speak to one of our team. You can contact us by clicking here.