Woman, 90, climbs 2,398ft inside her own home to raise money for the NHS
17 April 2020, 13:51
A 90-year-old woman is in the middle of scaling the equivalent height of a mountain in the Scottish Highlands - all from her staircase - to raise money for the NHS and a hospice.
Margaret Payne, from Ardvar in Sutherland, has already far surpassed her target of raising £10,000 since starting the challenge on Easter Sunday - bringing in almost £100,000.
She is hoping to climb the equivalent of Suilven, which is 2,398 ft (730m) high, and means she will need to take 282 trips up her staircase in total.
It is expected to take Mrs Payne around two months to complete the challenge, which she says was inspired by the charity garden walks by 99-year-old veteran Captain Tom Moore, who has raised more than £18m for the NHS.
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She said: "I think it's brilliant of them all and I feel the NHS really deserve it.
"They have been amazing, each day they are risking their lives."
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Mrs Payne said she had also wanted to find a way to show her appreciation for the "wonderful" NHS workers who had looked after her late husband.
She said: "My husband died at Christmas and the NHS were absolutely wonderful. So it was a way of saying thank-you."
Tackling the stair climbs several times a day, Mrs Payne said she was never much of a hillwalker due to having knee problems since she was 12 years old.
But, she added: "I do walk around the garden, every nice day.
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"I'm always afraid of being blown over now so when it's windy, I daren't go.
"Our house stands rather high, facing the prevailing winds so it asks for it a bit."
