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Inverness man reaches Everest Base Camp to raise more than £2,000 for SBH Scotland

An Inverness man has raised more than £2,400 for Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland (SBH Scotland) upon completing a Nepalese trek to Everest Base Camp. Mark Maclennan took part, alongside his friend, finishing at the summit 17,650Ft above sea level; a difficult but spectacular journey which took 14 days.

No stranger to adventure, Mark previously raised money for other charities by taking part in a trek across the Arctic. However, inspired by his friend’s daughter Samantha Slaven who has spina bifida and hydrocephalus, he decided to take on another challenge which he’d always dreamed about and, by paying for the entire trip himself it meant that every penny donated went straight to the charity!

Mark said: “Reaching Everest Base Camp has been a personal goal of mine for a long time, so I just took the opportunity to take part this year, and to raise vital funds for such a worthy cause.

It was a real privilege in trekking the Himalayas and immersing in their culture and way of life. The weather during the day was generally excellent with temperatures reaching as high as 20 deg C. It was a different matter during the night when temperatures dipped as low as -22 deg C. It became tougher the higher we get due to the effects of altitude with much less oxygen in the air, but nothing too serious.

SBH Scotland are a wonderful charity whose services are available to all those affected by spina bifida or hydrocephalus anywhere in Scotland. I know how hard they have been hit over the last two years and hope my donations go some way in helping them continue to help those who benefit from their fantastic services every day.”

Lynsey Hamilton, Fundraising Manager at SBH Scotland said, “We are so grateful to Mark and all those who donated to him. Funds raised are crucial for the dedicated support we can provide now and for the next 12 months. We heavily rely on fundraising to reach our annual targets and with a goal of over £1million pounds to raise in 2023, these funds will make a big impact on the services we can offer including 1-2-1 support in homes and hospitals, health check clinics and support groups to those affected by spina bifida and hydrocephalus in Scotland.”

The other week Mark popped over to Badaguish to visit his friend Samantha as she took part in an activity weekend organised by SBH Scotland.

If you’d like to find out more about the range of support services offered by SBH Scotland or you’d like to organise your own fundraiser or challenge please visit our challenge events page or contact their fundraising team via email.