Cumbria’s mountain whiz kid is set to climb the highest peaks of 10 different countries at 10-years-old in just one summer for charity.
Frankie McMillan, age nine, of Gosforth, is taking on the epic challenge in a bid to host multiple heart screening days and raise £50,000 for Cardiac Risk in the Young – a charity that he also has a special connection to.
The youngster – who has previously tackled over 700 mountains including Everest and Mount Olympus – will be climbing the 10 highest mountains in the Balkans next summer in just five weeks.
It means he will conquer the highest peaks in Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Croatia, Solvenia, Romania and Kosovo.
Each peak will range in height from 1,831 metres to 2,925 metres, meaning even the smallest peak will be twice the height of Scafell Pike, England’s highest mountain.
Frankie will take on the challenge with his mountain leader mum Basia and local specialist mountain guides who will help the pair on their way.
It will also form part of Frankie’s wider goal to climb the Crown of Europe, which if he were to complete, would see him set a world record as the youngest person to do so.
While their challenge will take place next year, the duo are already preparing and they are looking for all the support they can get to hit their fundraising goals and deliver as many heart screening days as possible.
Basia said: “It’s both a big expedition and fundraising challenge! But Frankie would go tomorrow if he could, he’s very excited and very keen to do it.
“It’s a huge logistics operation, so we have to sort out the hotels and camping and travel between each place and find a guide for each peak.
“We’ll also have to take into account the weather, if it’s raining or there’s a summer storm, the whole thing will move up, so we will have to leave gaps in between for wiggle room.
“But we have 10 months until we go to boost the fundraising and keep up the training, and to keep things interesting we want to do a couple of other big fundraising challenges on the go so we’ll be doing them in the half terms.”
Frankie and Basia are hoping to bring multiple heart screening days to West Cumbria through their fundraising efforts, which are designed to help detect underlying heart problems in young people.
But the duo’s initial decision to fundraise for Cardiac Risk in the Young came from one of Frankie’s good friends.
After Frankie was moved up a year in school to a new unfamiliar class, one boy looked out for him and forged a firm friendship with him.
Frankie later found out that his friend and some of his other family members live with a critical heart condition known as Long QT Syndrome Type 2 – or LQT2 for short.
Learning about his friend’s condition inspired Frankie and his mum Basia to fundraise for CRY.
Basia said: “Every time Frankie fundraises he chooses a charity close to his heart, so he chose the Make A Wish Foundation when we did Everest Base Camp which was his birthday wish to help other children.
“Then we chose the Anthony Nolan Trust in memory of his grandad when we did the Atlas Mountains and we’ve fundraised for Mountain Rescue because we’re in the mountains in the Lakes so much and want to help.
“The CRY decision came because of his friend who was so lovely looking after Frankie and it was how he decided to help other children with similar problems.”
The pair are hoping to host the heart screening days in West Cumbria and each day will cost around £7,000 to host.
Each day will give 100 young people the chance to get screened for underlying heart problems – which can save lives and minimise the risk of sudden cardiac death.
Basia added: “12 young people very week are dying from sudden cardiac death, it’s the same amount of people as Frankie’s whole class every week.
“But the numbers can be improved by people being tested, but if you don’t have any symptoms or a little turn, you will not be referred for heart screening.
“If you’re looking at children playing or young adults are going for adventures, they’re fit and healthy and suddenly they collapse and die, just because we don’t test for any heart issues in young people with no symptoms.
“The best way to get a heart screening is through CRY who organise them for free and the more money we raise, the more screenings we can bring to West Cumbria.
“When I was doing my research I wanted to book Frankie for a heart screening and that’s how I found out there was actually nothing here and it was hours of driving to get to the closest one.
“So it’s our priority to bring the free screenings here because this area is overlooked, but people from other parts of the county or country are very welcome to come as well.”
Frankie’s epic summer fundraising challenge is being supported by the Adventure for Good grant from GiveStar.
GiveStar offers a financial boost to adventurers who push the limits and Frankie is the first child in the organisation’s history to receive the grant.
But in order to take on the challenge, hit their £50,000 target and run as many heart screening days as possible – they need public support.
Basia said: “We need everyone’s support and all donations no matter how much help.
“Because it’s such a big goal we need to reach further this time, so we are looking for grants and charity pots and anyone who can give advice on these things to help us.
“But the screening days are really an opportunity to invest in the future of our young people in the local area.”
Money donated on the Give Star platform will go directly to the Frankie McMillan Fund set up by CRY – which is dedicated solely to providing heart screening in the West Cumbria area.
You can support Frankie by donating here.
Anyone able to offer support, advice, grants or funding to help Frankie take on his challenge can get in touch via his Facebook page, Frankie Moves The Mountains.
