Father and son plan to climb Kilimanjaro to aid teen cancer charity

MOST fathers and sons find interests to share but Archie and Ross Maclean are taking it to the extreme, with an assault on one of the world's highest summits.

The pair are aiming to raise 100,000 for the Teenage Cancer Trust after a casual chat about new year's resolutions ended in a pledge to conquer Kilimanjaro.

Thy are now training together to prepare themselves for the challenges of the 19,300ft Tanzanian mountain.

Archie, 53, said: "There has been much hilarity among our friends about how this all started, and I can't quite believe it myself. But unlike most New Year's resolutions, everyone knows what mine is so there's no going back.

"I feel that as a family we've been very fortunate and I can't imagine what it's like for families whose teenage sons and daughters are diagnosed with cancer.

"We didn't know much about the Teenage Cancer Trust when we decided to go ahead with the climb, but we found out more and we just thought it was a brilliant cause.

"All of the money raised will go towards supporting the charity, which runs specialist units for teenage cancer sufferers.

It believes that treating people of the same age with similar experiences together can benefit those having treatment.

Despite the ambitious fundraising target, the duo have had more than a little help from Toyota, as Archie manages a franchise of the car firm in the Borders.

The company has put up the new IQ model as a prize in a competition, which entrants have a chance of winning for just a 5 donation.

Archie said: "I know people are always being asked to give to charities and I wanted to make it attractive to everyone.

"It's a chance to win a fantastic prize and donate to this really worthy cause at the same time and we also know that taking on a challenge this big means we're really under pressure to prove we can do it so we can't let anyone down.

"Now the website's up and running we've had donations and competition entries ranging from 5 to 6,000 and I'm sure we can do this."

Archie and his son Ross, 25, who has recently graduated from a university course in property, are due to depart on their 11-day dream adventure on 18 August.

They have been campaigning side-by-side to raise the target, while Archie's wife Trish and daughter Claire have already run the Edinburgh marathon for Teenage Cancer Trust.

Archie said that he expected a little competition with Ross, who is currently climbing the Munros in preparation for Kilimanjaro, will spur the pair on to reach the summit in August.

He said: "We've egged each other on a bit to do it, and there is a bit of competition to see who can get the fittest before we go.

"It's a fantastic thing for a father and son to experience, and who knows, maybe we'll have a last dash to the summit to see who can get there first."