A grandfather’s last gift was the spur for Shelley Cooper to climb Britain’s highest mountain and help a local nursing home.
Shelley (36), from Cowbit, was left some money by Edwin Ayre before his death last November which she used to trek 4,408 feet up Ben Nevis to raise money for Holbeach and East Elloe Hospital Nursing Home.
She joined a group of 19 people who took about four and a half hours to walk up the mountain and her achievement was made extra special by raising £1,260 for the nursing home where her grandmother Dorothy Ayre is a resident.
Shelley said: “I wanted to do something memorable that my grandfather would have been proud of and walking up Ben Nevis was good fun.
“Doing it with only a limited amount of training was a great achievement and there was some good camaraderie with a really nice bunch of people.”
“It was hard work and the weather was awful but I had fantastic support from family and friends, so I was very pleased to have done it.”
Shelley faced rain, wind and cold weather during the 11-mile trek, as well as steep inclines and slippery rocks before reaching the summit.
She said: “It was very sunny when we started the trek, but within five minutes it was raining quite hard and it was real morale booster when we passed a few people who were on their way down Ben Nevis.
“Parts of the route were nice and flat, but other parts were quite steep and didn’t have much grip underneath, so it was very rewarding to reach the top.
“The nursing home was really happy that I did it and all the carers thanked me for raising the money.”
Loraine Wigston, manager of the nursing home, said: “Shelley is an amazing young woman to have given the time and effort to walk up Ben Nevis for us.
“We’re very fortunate to have people like her who often raise funds for the nursing home, along with those who work at the League of Friends Shop in Holbeach.
“A lot of people within our community have missed out on the care they deserve and Shelley has helped in making people aware of what we’re doing.”