Man hauls anvil up mountain to support diabetic daughter

A FATHER who vowed to pull a 19-stone anvil up a mountain to show his daughter that she was not alone in her struggle with Type-1 diabetes has completed his challenge.
Davy Ballantyne on Goatfell. The 54-year-old hauled a 19-stone anvil to the top of the mountain. Picture: Big Davy's Anvil Challenge/FacebookDavy Ballantyne on Goatfell. The 54-year-old hauled a 19-stone anvil to the top of the mountain. Picture: Big Davy's Anvil Challenge/Facebook
Davy Ballantyne on Goatfell. The 54-year-old hauled a 19-stone anvil to the top of the mountain. Picture: Big Davy's Anvil Challenge/Facebook

Davy Ballantyne made the promise to ten-year-old Roisin after she was diagnosed with the disease, insisting that he would do something that was a “real struggle, because that’s what diabetes is”.

He reached the top of the 874-metre Goatfell on Arran on Sunday - and carried out the feat while wearing a kilt.

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Davy, 54, said last month: “I was toying with the idea of mountains because I’m always floating about the hills, and then I saw this old anvil in the garage at work.

“I thought, if I can lift it off the ground then I can get it up the mountain.”

Bad weather meant that the challenge had to be postponed on occasion, and Davy revealed that he would leave the anvil on the mountainside and climb back up to it each day.

On day 17 his update read: “It takes about 1hr 30m to walk up to the anvil. Ribs are feeling a bit better.

“Can take a breath easier. Done 160m. Very steep. Hard going. But it was a great day.”

Davy originally set himself a fundraising target of £3,000 but has so far raised more than £12,000 after generous donations from around the world.

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