There ain’t no mountain high enough in a Lanarkshire woman’s quest to raise cash for the charity that gave her friend a reason for living after he suddenly lost his sight.
Since Stacey McCallum was introduced to Scott Cunningham in the workplace around seven years ago, she has been full of admiration for the man who was only 23 when his optic nerves died away, completely robbing him of his vision.
Stacey and Scott have remained firm friends ever since, and she describes him as “one of the most inspirational people” she has ever known.
After Stacey’s dad died suddenly in 2017 at the age of 57, followed only 13 months later by the death of her 54-year-old mum, who had battled MS, she pledged to conquer Mount Kilimanjaro in her parents’ memory.
Although the pandemic put paid to her plans in 2020, a gutsy Stacey is now back in training. And this time, she’s once again on a mission to tackle the world’s highest, single, free-standing mountain above sea level, while raising £5000 for Guide Dogs – the charity that restored confidence, independence and hope for pal Scott at a time when he thought life wasn’t worth living.
Stacey, 30, has ploughed £3500 of her own cash into the self-funded trip, and departs the UK for Africa on August 11, booked through outdoor activity event organisers, The Bucket List.
She and fellow trekkers will set off on the Marangu route hike on August 14, and plans to return to base by August 19.
“Mount Kilimanjaro sits proudly at 5895 metres high, 19,341 feet above sea level, and I’ve been obsessed with it for years due to my love of the film, The Lion King. So, I thought, why not give it a go?” said Stacey.
Although she works 50 hours a week as a compliance officer with a security company and as a South Lanarkshire Leisure recreation assistant, Stacey manages to squeeze into her routine a gruelling training schedule that includes two cardio and two strengthening sessions a week under the watchful eye of her personal trainer, Heather Whitelaw.
As well as following a strict nutrition plan, she has trekked Ben Ledi and regularly hikes up Tinto Hill near to Climpy – the hamlet near Forth where she lives.
As well as pledging donations through Stacey’s JustGiving page, she has also drawn support from her employer, Anubis Security, who will be paying for her vaccinations, and South Lanarkshire family businesses, The Wee Farm Distillery and McKerr Fencing, who are sponsoring her kit, comprising a sleeping bag, boots, poles, rucksacks and clothing to suit the conditions and altitude.
This is not Stacey’s first venture into going that extra mile for charity by raising funds through sporting feats.
In the past six years, she has raised an astonishing £15,000 for Cash for Kids, The Haven and the MS Society through Tough Mudders, a sky dive, walking the West Highland Way, scaling Ben Nevis, completing the Great Scottish Swim, as well as half marathons, 10kms and a variety of obstacle course races.
“I’ve raised thousands for charities very close to me and, this time, I want to give to Guide Dogs,” she explained.
“This is mainly down to the legend and amazing friend of mine, Scott Cunningham MBE. I had the privilege of meeting Scott and working with him for a number of years. He’s one of the most inspiring people I’ve ever met. He goes skiing, runs marathons and climbs mountains. There’s nothing this man can’t do.
“He’s a great guy, and he’s amazing, considering what he’s gone through in life. After completely losing his eye sight at the age of 23, he was introduced to his first guide dog – and he’s now on number four. He is inspiring and does stuff that any sighted person would say they cannot do.”
Almost two million people in the UK are living with sight loss that has significantly impacted their daily lives.
Of those, around 180,000 rarely leave their homes alone and lead lonely, isolated lives. Guide Dogs works for a world where people with sight loss are never left out of life, for a world where being blind or partially sighted is not what defines you but is one in which there’s enough support to make the challenges of sight loss no barrier to fulfilling hopes and dreams.
Larkhall man Scott, 51, who was awarded the MBE in recognition of his fundraising efforts: “When I completely lost my sight over three weeks in 1993, I suddenly had no job, no future, no independence, no confidence and absolutely no hope at all.
“Guide Dogs gave me back everything: being able to become independent again, and lead a very confident and active life.
From my first guide dog Ike, to Travis, Milo and now Lincoln, each one has given me such incredible memories.
“They have also given me back my self esteem, allowing me to return to a healthy and fit lifestyle, undertaking challenges in the great outdoors – all of which would have been impossible without them.
“I am extremely grateful to Stacey for kindly choosing to undertake this epic challenge in aid of Guide Dogs, every penny kindly donated will help give another blind person the active and independent lifestyle I have been lucky to enjoy thanks to this incredible charity.”
Scott, who earlier this month completed the 2022 Therme Manchester Marathon, said: “Thanks to Stacey and thanks to everyone for helping change a blind person’s life here in Scotland. I know first hand the difference Guide Dogs has made to one life. Please dig deep and help me help thousands more. They literally can change peoples lives.”
Stacey, who hopes to attract additional sponsorship, will be holding raffles and other fundraising activities in the run-up to the epic trek, including a barn dance.
To donate through Stacey’s crowdfunding page, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/stacey-mccallum-climpytokilamanjaro
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