A fabulous Hamilton fundraiser has hit the heights with his latest international adventure in support of his chosen charity – taking his total raised during more than a decade to more than £50,000.
Brian Thomson conquered the Spanish three peaks challenge in the Sierra Nevada, scaling mountains Puntal de Laguna Larga, Veleta and Mulhacen over four days and collecting an impressive £3000 for Diabetes UK.
He told how his group overcame poor weather to reach the summits, being rewarded with “spectacular” views on the final day; plus how they were then brought straight back down to earth en route home with a bus breakdown added which added some extra walking distance to the epic challenge.
Brian was among a group of 18 fundraisers taking on Los Tres Picos for a variety of good causes, and said: “It was brilliant; the first two days were overcast and windy so we couldn’t see anything and I could have been out walking in Scotland, but the third more than made up for it and the views at the summit of Mulhacen were stunning.
“We were meant to climb Alcazaba on the first day but due to thunder and lightning storms we ended up climbing Puntal de Laguna Larga at 10,439ft, then Veleta on another very windy and cloudy day. Day three was Mulhacen, which is 11,423ft and the highest in the Spanish mainland – it was perfect and we were above the clouds at the summit with some amazing views.
“The altitude was a challenge at 11,000 feet and in the last couple of hundred metres from the summit I felt the effects of getting breathless and would have to stop for a minute, which surprised me a wee bit. It was a great group and we bonded well and had a fantastic time.”
He added: “We all enjoyed completing the challenge and everyone was pretty pleased with their achievement. We were travelling back and then the bus broke down so we had to walk the last two to three miles back to the hotel; fortunately it was a lovely evening and the beer tasted nice when we finally got there!”
Brian has thanked all those who made a donation to his fundraising page and the local businesses who supported his efforts with charity collection cans, with his mountain efforts this year raising more than £3100 for Diabetes UK.
The Eddlewood resident’s ongoing efforts are inspired by youngest daughter Hayley who has lived with type 1 diabetes since childhood and he has supported the charity’s work with a huge range of challenges dating back 10 years and for which he was named its Scottish fundraiser of the year in 2017.
Brian has previously taken on epic adventures for Diabetes UK including descending to the floor of the Grand Canyon to mark his 50th birthday, trekking Machu Picchu in Peru, taking on a 10,000 foot parachute jump, trekking to the base camp of Mount Everest and last year sledding 240 kilometres in temperatures of minus 33 degrees in the Arctic Circle husky challenge.
He first caught the fundraising bug back in 2008 when he was signed up to scale Ben Nevis for Kidney Research at a street stall in Hamilton town centre, going on to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and walk the Great Wall of China for that charity.
The home carer with South Lanarkshire Council has also taken on a range of challenges closer to home including the family’s regular Hike for Hayley at locations including Ben Lomond, walking the West Highland Way and scaling 24 Lake District peaks in 24 hours.
Brian – who is supported in his fundraising adventures by wife Jean and his three daughters and four grandchildren – said: “Everest takes a bit of beating; it was unbelievable to see the biggest mountains in the world and ever time you turned a corner you’d have the phone back out taking pictures of the amazing sights.
“The Arctic adventure was absolutely incredible too, sledding with the huskies and seeing the Arctic Circle and the aurora.
“I’ve also been to Morocco and climbed the two highest mountains in north Africa and trekked the Sahara; I’ve been very lucky to see different parts of the world which I probably wouldn’t have if not doing this fundraising, so hopefully it’s win-win for me and the charity.”
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