Man, 82, raises more than £70,000 by climbing 282 Scottish mountains

Grandfather, 82, raises more than £70,000 after climbing 282 Scottish mountains for Alzheimer’s and osteoporosis charities after his wife developed both conditions

• Nick Gardner, from Gairloch, raised 70K  after climbing Scotland’s 282 Munros
• He set himself the challenge after his wife Janet, 84, went into full-time care
• After Janet developed Alzheimer’s and Osteoporosis, Nick wanted to raise funds
• Speaking on GMB  about completing his challenge he said he’s on ‘cloud nine’

An 82-year-old man has completed his attempt to climb Scotland’s 282 Munros – mountains higher than 3,000ft. 

Nick Gardner, from Gairloch, Scotland, set himself the challenge after his wife Janet, 84, went into full-time care after developing Alzheimer’s and Osteoporosis.

The grandfather-of-four spoke to spoke to Charlotte Hawkins and Robert Rinder on Good Morning Britain about completing his challenge and raising over £70,000, saying he’s on ‘cloud nine.’

Nick Gardner, from Gairloch, Scotland, has completed his attempt to climb Scotland’s 282 Munros – mountains higher than 3,000ft and raised over £70,000 for Alzheimer’s and Osteoporosis

He admitted he had to do the challenge to ‘re-focus’ his life because he was ‘so shattered’ when his wife went into care. 

Nick said: ‘I found it very rewarding to be able to complete this challenge. I needed to re-focus my life when she went into care, but it did more then that.

‘Once I realised that I could raise money through doing this challenge that took on a life of its own and it has been extremely successful.’

The doting husband, who spoke to his wife on the phone at the top of every mountain, also managed to complete the challenge in a record time of 757 days.  

Nick set himself the challenge after his wife Janet, 84, went into full-time care after developing Alzheimer’s and Osteoporosis

The grandfather-of-four spoke to spoke to Charlotte Hawkins and Robert Rinder on Good Morning Britain alongside his daughter Sally McKenzie about completing his challenge, saying he’s on ‘cloud nine’ 

Nick raised over £70, 000 for Alzheimer Scotland and the Royal Osteoporosis Society through the challenge.

He began in July 2020 and reached his final summit, Cairn Gorm, on Saturday afternoon.

Speaking to Nick’s daughter Sally McKenzie, Charlotte asked if she was worried about her father during the climbs. 

She replied: ‘No, I wasn’t, I knew he had it in him, he’s been active his entire life, he’s not great at sitting still for very long.’

He admitted he had to do the challenge to ‘re-focus’ his life because he was ‘so shattered’ when his wife went into care

Incredible: He began in July 2020 and reached his final summit, Cairn Gorm, on Saturday afternoon

‘He’s climbed the local munro over 100 times so he has kept his fitness up throughout his life. 

‘My only concern was he dint go solo, so thats why we turned to social media to find a hand full of walkers he could go with, and we certainly did that.’

The former physics teacher climbed more than 152,000 metres at the end of his challenge – the equivalent of climbing Everest about 17 times.

Staff and volunteers from Alzheimer’s Scotland and the ROS joined Nick for the final climb, as were his two daughters, four grandchildren and friends.

He doesn’t plan on stopping since completing the challenge as he intends to conquer the coastal mountains of Devon and Cornwall next. 

Staff and volunteers from Alzheimer’s Scotland and the ROS joined Nick for the final climb, as were his two daughters, four grandchildren and friends

What is Alzheimer’s and Osteoporosis?

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, degenerative disease of the brain, in which build-up of abnormal proteins causes nerve cells to die.

This disrupts the transmitters that carry messages, and causes the brain to shrink. 

WHAT HAPPENS?

As brain cells die, the functions they provide are lost. 

That includes memory, orientation and the ability to think and reason. 

The progress of the disease is slow and gradual. 

On average, patients live five to seven years after diagnosis, but some may live for ten to 15 years.

SYMPTOMS:

• Severe memory loss, forgetting close family members, familiar objects or places
• Becoming anxious and frustrated over inability to make sense of the world, leading to aggressive behavior 
• Eventually lose ability to walk
• May have problems eating 
• The majority will eventually need 24-hour care   

It develops slowly over several years and is often only diagnosed when a fall or sudden impact causes a bone to break.

WHAT HAPPENS? 

The most common injuries in people with osteoporosis are: broken wrist, broken hip, or broken spinal bones.

Sometimes a cough or sneeze can cause a broken rib or the partial collapse of one of the bones of the spine.

Although a broken bone is often the first sign of osteoporosis, some older people develop the characteristic stooped (bent forward) posture.

Osteoporosis can be treated with bone strengthening medicines. 

Osteoporosis affects over 3 million people in the UK. 

SYMPTOMS: 

Bones that break after falling from standing height or less.

Back pain, caused by a fractured or collapsed vertebra

Loss of height over time

A stooped posture

A bone that breaks much more easily than expected

 

Source: Alzheimer’s Association, NHS

What is Alzheimer’s?

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, degenerative disease of the brain, in which build-up of abnormal proteins causes nerve cells to die.

This disrupts the transmitters that carry messages, and causes the brain to shrink. 

More than 5 million people suffer from the disease in the US, where it is the 6th leading cause of death, and more than 1 million Britons have it.

WHAT HAPPENS?

As brain cells die, the functions they provide are lost. 

That includes memory, orientation and the ability to think and reason. 

The progress of the disease is slow and gradual. 

On average, patients live five to seven years after diagnosis, but some may live for ten to 15 years.

EARLY SYMPTOMS:

• Loss of short-term memory
• Disorientation
• Behavioral changes
• Mood swings
• Difficulties dealing with money or making a phone call 

LATER SYMPTOMS:

• Severe memory loss, forgetting close family members, familiar objects or places
• Becoming anxious and frustrated over inability to make sense of the world, leading to aggressive behavior 
• Eventually lose ability to walk
• May have problems eating 
• The majority will eventually need 24-hour care   

 Source: Alzheimer’s Association

 

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