No mountain high enough for fundraisers

Trish Bishop, of Bursledon Close, Felpham, also lost her father in July and wanted to tackle Ben Nevis for '˜Josie's Climb' with her friend June Marmolejo.

The pair raised 2,000 for the Fernhurst Centre and for the new daycare unit at St Richard's Hospital.

'Every Saturday when I was training, we got brilliant weather and I thought of my dad and Josie. They were looking after us,' said Trish.

'The climb was very gruelling and arduous but I am pleased we did it.

'It was June's idea to do Ben Nevis and she gave me the motivation I needed.

'It was absolutely fantastic when we got to the top. Next year, we'll be doing a fundraising sky-dive.'

Josie's Climb took a total of eight hours to complete with ten-minute stops along the way.

Trish and June had been walking along the South Downs since March this year before taking on Ben Nevis on September 25.

Josie passed away last December, aged 42. Her husband, Garry McGivern raised nearly 6,000 for St Wilfrid's Hospice by doing a 1,000-mile cycle from Bilbao in Spain to Bognor earlier in the year.

'I have always wanted to walk Ben Nevis, it was on my list of things to do before I die,' said June, of Mead Lane, Bognor.

'Every step was worth it. On the day the weather was good, but at the top it was freezing cold.

'It was quite spooky. Although there were other people on the mountain it was completely silent. Everyone has been so generous and they have all our heartfelt thanks for their support.'

To make a donation to June or Trish, log onto www.justgiving.com/trishbishop or to www.justgiving.com/junemarmolejo1.