Two young brothers from Somerset have gone above and beyond after scaling the height of Ben Nevis on their climbing frame at home and raising £1,000 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity.

Having taken climbing lessons at school, nine-year-old Max Fisher was desperate to take on the Three Peaks Challenge for the hospital after he was treated for a kidney condition on its Renal Ward as a baby, but his dreams were shattered when the country was placed under lockdown. Seeing his son’s disappointment, dad Stephen had a brainwave – Max wouldn’t be climbing a real mountain any time soon, but he could still tackle his climbing frame!

With Stephen’s help, Max and his little brother, Henry, planned their challenge. They set their sights high and worked out that if they scaled their climbing frame 538 times, they would have climbed the equivalent height of Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in the British Isles.

Setting a fundraising target of 10p a metre, Max and Henry began training, climbing up and over their climbing frame time and time again, until they were ready to take on the full 1345 metres to the virtual peak of Ben Nevis. Keen for them to have the full mountaineering experience, Stephen helped his boys to set up a garden ‘base camp’ so that they could camp out the night before. At 9 o’clock the next morning, after a proper campsite breakfast, they began their ascent.

Just five hours into their challenge, Max and Henry had completed 400 of their climbs and after a well-earned break it was time to make the final push. With a new lease of energy the brothers powered through, completing their last 138 climbs in just 35 minutes.

Stephen said: “Birmingham Children’s Hospital is a special place for us. We were visiting locally, when Max was suddenly taken ill and admitted to hospital and we were just so blown away by the care he received, that we decided to continue his treatment there even though we lived so far away. It’s a fantastic place and I’m so proud of the boys for wanting to do their bit and fundraise.

“Of course, climbing a real mountain was out of the question due to the lockdown, but Max and Henry were so keen to fundraise, the climbing frame was the next best thing! They both got so into the challenge and I was amazed by how quickly they managed to reach the ‘summit’!”

Miranda Williams, Public Fundraising Manager at Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “Max and Henry not only conquered the highest mountain in the British Isles but they beat their target too! Even though they had to stay at home, it sounds like they had a great time and we’re so grateful for their fundraising.

“The money Max and Henry raised will go towards helping us do more for the 90,000 sick kids we treat every year.”