Our reputation in Lochaber as ‘The Outdoor Capital of the UK’ is richly deserved with our abundance of natural wonders including lochs, glens, geology and of course Ben Nevis, writes Nic Goddard.
Whilst the area attracts huge numbers of visitors every year to enjoy the outdoor pursuits this natural playground offers, Lochaber can be a challenging place to call home.
Issues including social isolation and financial uncertainty, and a lack of employment opportunities, can all contribute to feelings of despair and depression and the latest figures from 2022 of suspected suicides across Scotland showed the Highlands with a higher rate than the national average.
The Samaritans offers support to people in need, acting as the first place some people reach out to for help and also a last resort when they feel they have nowhere left to turn.
There are more than 20,000 volunteers taking calls for The Samaritans and in 2020/21 a call was answered by a
volunteer every 10 seconds.
In 2022/23 there was not a single second - day or night - when a volunteer was not on a call to someone phoning for support.
These staggering statistics prompted Morvern resident Kenny McLaughlin to embark on his own challenge to raise valuable funds for The Samaritans to support this vital service.
To scale Ben Nevis - the UK’s tallest mountain - not once, not twice but three times in 24 hours.
Kenny told The Lochaber Times: “Having sat on my backside in a mostly office-based role for the past few years this seemed like quite a challenge!
“My training regime started in November with 5am starts to improve my fitness and has been a tough but steady progression over the last few months from a sitting - not even standing - start!.”
Kenny began with the Corbetts of Ardgour and once he was regularly conquering those heights, thanks to support from CalMac, he has been travelling on the Lochaline to Fishnish ferry to tackle Ben More - the Munro on Mull - several times a week on his days off.
Kenny explains: “I have seen my personal fitness - and the fundraising total - increase steadily over the last few months.
"The day of the triple Nevis attempt will be the first time I have ever climbed Nevis though and the more funds I can raise for The Samaritans the better.
“I am climbing an actual mountain but I know that for those feeling despair and needing support it can feel just like an insurmountable challenge or huge mountain to climb too.”
Kenny’s original fundraising target has already been reached with nearly £4,000 raised so far, including generous support from family, friends, his employers at Ardtornish Estate and Manchester City Football Club donating a signed Jack Grealish shirt which raised over £200 when raffled off.
“Every pound counts - £10 covers the cost of two calls to The Samaritans, £96 pays for training and support of a phoneline volunteer for a whole year and £500 keeps the phone lines running for an hour,” he added.
On hearing about Kenny’s challenge this week Neil Mathers, Executive Director of Samaritans Scotland, said: “I am delighted to hear of Kenny’s incredible challenge to raise money for Samaritans – to climb Ben Nevis just once would be a massive achievement for many, but to climb it three times in one day is extraordinary.
“Kenny’s plan is all the more notable as it is taking place during Mental Health Awareness Week, which this year highlights the benefits to all of us of being active and moving more.
“The team at Samaritans Scotland wishes Kenny all the very best as he continues his training, and we look forward to hearing all about his remarkable challenge – after he has had time to catch his breath, of course!”
Kenny will take on Nevis for this challenge in May so is now in the final weeks of his training and fundraising efforts.
His fundraising support page can be found by searching for Kenny McLaughlin at justgiving.com.
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