A Rutherglen mother and son duo will climb new heights next month to do their bit and raise money for Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland.
Margaret McKinnie and her son Connor will abseil the Falkirk Wheel on Sunday, March 20, to raise funds.
And the pair are excited to do their bit and give back to the charity that has helped them so much.
Margaret told Lanarkshire Live: “Connor was born with spina bifida occulta - it's the mildest form of the illness.
"When he was born he had a tethered spinal cord, which is a complication of spina bifida as well as a few other complications.
“He had surgery for that two years ago. We regularly have to go to hospital appointments and physio.
"We wanted to take part to raise awareness and say thank you for the support that the charity gives out."
Treatment for Connor has seen the family travel all over, regularly heading to East Kilbride and Hamilton for appointments.
SBH Scotland have always supported the family and may well do again soon, as Connor may need surgery to rectify problems with his femur which is not growing properly.
Margaret, who works at Chapmans in Rutherglen, added: "One of the reasons I had to learn to drive was to be able to take Connor to hospital appointments.
“I used to be a shop manager but now I’m working in a bar. I couldn’t do my old job around Connor’s appointments."
The pair decided to take part in the challenge after Margaret saw it advertised - with Connor saying he "would love to" take part, they signed up.
The pair will abseil around 200ft - that's not too much of a problem for Margaret, who says she has "jumped out of a plane before" and "done a zipline across the Clyde", but she admits 14-year-old Connor is a "little more nervous".
His younger sister also wanted to take part, but is not old enough, so will cheer on the pair alongside her dad on the day.
Margaret added: "“I always say to Connor, ‘you’re not limited to what you can do and you can do anything you want'.
“He lacks confidence and he’s shy, so it’s a good challenge for him.
So far Margaret and Connor have raised £1000 for the charity and hope to continue to raise more in the run-up to March, with customers at her work being "very generous".
There are currently 135 people taking part in the fundraiser and some participants from other charities as well.
Clare Cogan Turne from SBH Scotland told us: "It’s really important to us that we raise awareness of both Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus by holding these type of challenge events.
"There are many families affected by these disabilities that don’t know we exist and by seeing publicity they often get in touch and from there become part of the SBH Scotland family.
"We would love to raise £10,000 which would go directly into providing family support services for those affected by these rare, complex disabilities.
"We can’t thank Margaret, Connor and all our abseilers enough for taking part and helping to ensure our charity can continue long into the future."
Donations can be made via Connor and Margaret’s JustGiving page.
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