Danielle Lappin, Reporter

SEVEN Boots colleagues from Helensburgh stores took part in a tough overnight endurance climb to the summit of Ben Nevis to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.

On Saturday night the brave seven joined a team of 111 Boots colleagues from across the UK to take on the challenge and raise as much as they could.

Kitted out with walking boots and head torches, the Boots Helensburgh team scrambled rocks and trekked over cliffs in the dark, making the steep ascent to 1,345 metres above sea level.

The group challenged their endurance limits to raise important funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.

The hikers took between six and nine hours to complete the challenge and were met at the bottom by fellow colleagues awaiting with congratulations and moral support.

Liz Macdonald, Healthcare Advisor in Boots, Helensburgh was one of the brave few who tackled the challenge.

She said: “Ben Nevis was a huge personal challenge for me, made harder as we were trekking through the night, but together the whole team in Helensburgh have been doing lots of training and fundraising to make it worthwhile.

“Cancer is often the toughest fight many people will ever face, so it felt really important to do our bit to help Macmillan Cancer Support to reach more people and to help make sure no one faces cancer alone.

“We extend our thanks to all of our customers who have supported us along the way! We feel very proud to be able to donate over £3,000 to help reach and support more people affected by cancer.”

The Boots Helensburgh team, including Store Manager Alasdair MacKenzie, Kerry-Anne Dunne, Liz Macdonald, Michelle Maloy, Sarah Palmer, Lewes Glen and Johana Miller, got their customers involved to help with fundraising before the climb.

They held bake sales and raffles among other activities to help boost the fundraising pot with more money still coming in.

Boots UK colleagues have now raised more than £585,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support over the last three years with expeditions to Kilimanjaro, Machu Picchu and now Ben Nevis.

The money raised by the Boots team will go towards helping the nurses and therapists support people going through cancer. It will allow them to be on the end of the phone to advise people on benefits they are entitled to and what support is available as well as helping with everyday things.

The team are still receiving donations and anyone wishing to donate can do so by visiting their JustGiving page - www.justgiving.com/fundraising/BootsHelensburgh