Two Cumbrian teenagers are getting ready to climb the tallest mountain in North Africa in memory of a close family friend.
Jayden Carruthers, 16, and Jack Cannon, 16, both from Carlisle, are preparing to take on Toubkal – which stands at 4,167 metres and is over four times the height of Scafell Pike – in Morocco on Monday April 6.
The friends are taking on the two day long climb in memory of Jayden’s close family friend Selina Scott, who died in 2020 after battling cancer for a year.
As part of their trek, Jayden and Jack have been fundraising for the North Cumbria Hospitals NHS Charity to support the cancer care unit at Carlisle Infirmary.
The duo, who are both pupils at Richard Rose Morton Academy, have raised over £2,100 so far, but people can still donate to their GoFundMe ahead of their climb starting on Monday.
Jayden said: “We’re flying over with my mam and dad and then the day after we have the expedition booked.
“It’s just me and Jack going and we’ll have a guide taking us up. But I’ve been training doing 5k runs everyday and so has Jack but he does football and stuff like that, so he’ll be fine!
“I’m very excited, there’s no nerves for it, I love going into the mountains. But it will be a massive step up for us, the tallest I’ve ever done is Ben Nevis in Scotland.”
Jayden was 10 years old when Selina passed away and he said he is hoping to make her proud with the trek.
He will also carry a stone engraved with Selina’s name to the top of Toubkal, where he will leave it in her memory.
Jayden added: “Selina died when I was quite young, but she might as well have been my aunty, she was always around our house.
“She was my mam’s best friend and she had a really special place in my heart. We got the news one day that she had cancer and about a year later she passed away and it was hard for our family.”
Jayden and Jack are also planning to bring a cheque to the cancer unit in person and share photos of their journey with the people there on Monday April 13.
He said: “We’ve already arranged to go and we’ll be taking a big cheque in. I think we’re going to buy iPads and things like that for people in the unit.
“But I’m very proud of myself and Jack for what we’ve raised.”
You can still donate to Jayden and Jack’s fundraiser here ahead of their Toubkal trek starting on Monday.
