Badenoch laird to scale the heights for air ambulance charity
A Badenoch laird is attempting to climb Britain’s highest three mountains inside 24 hours to boost funds for Scotland’s first charity air ambulance.
Mr John Forbes-Leith, of Dunachton Estate, Kincraig, set off today to join his business partner John Bullough and their colleague James Gray-Cheape in an assault on Snowdon in Wales, Scafell Pike in the Lake District and, highest of them all, Ben Nevis.
He said: "England and Wales have, I think, a charity air ambulance for every county. They have something like 32 of them and up here in Scotland, where six people either die or suffer serious injury on the roads every day, we have just the one! It’s time to put that right.
"SCAA costs £1.5m a year to run, so we want sponsors to dig deep and help us assist this great charity.
"Johnny B is the prime mover – the chairman - in the air ambulance, James is already fundraising in Angus and I will soon carry the can for Speyside.
"The Scottish ambulance has been operating for only days and is already saving lives. I am proud to be trying to do my bit - and hoping that it never has to pick me up!"
The wish was heartfelt, as he explained: "If I manage the challenge I will be most surprised, having done no training for the last two weeks - having been ejected out of the back of a trials bike and landing on my bum."
The online sponsorship address is https://www.justgiving.com/john-bullough and already £2,302.12 of the team’s £5,000 target has been raised.
The aim is to "peak" with their big challenge clinching the other 34%.
