Tom Muir's Story

Every year myself and two life-long friends (Alan and Paul) do something together – a challenge, camping or a weekend away somewhere.

For 2011 we decided to climb Ben Nevis. For me this was a real challenge as it would take place one year after suffering a severe back injury (compressed spine), for which I was going through (and still am) a long term recovery.

When I heard about the Take Heart project, I thought we could use this as a fund raising opportunity. Through the sponsorship of family, colleagues and friends, the day raised £700.

The climb was arduous, to say the least, but we made it in just under 5 hours. The views were spectacular as God blessed us with one of the 20 or so days per year when the peak is not consumed by cloud. We sat for an hour and had lunch together, then walked around the summit. It was very busy, we passed hundreds of people climbed on the way up and down. The descent was easy, at first, but towards the end I suffered multiple blisters from the impact of stepping down the rocks (almost the entire climb is like a staircase).

It was a fantastic day. We finished with a real sense of achievement; not just at having completed the climb, but at having raised money for such a worthy cause in the process.

(You can see more of Tom's photos of the day here.)