A FIREFIGHTER from Arrochar has raised more than £500 for a children’s charity after climbing the Cobbler in full protective gear.

Christopher Johnstone, who has served the local area with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) since February, hiked the 2,900ft Ben Arthur on Saturday, October 24 dressed in PPE.

The retained firefighter completed the challenge in his trousers, boots, helmet and jacket to raise funds for Robin House in Balloch, part of the Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) charity.

Christopher, 30, told the Advertiser: “It was just something different.

“I have done quite a bit of charity work for CHAS in the past, but the last time was when I was 16. I seen another guy on Facebook who climbed Mount Everest in his firefighter gear and that gave me a wee bit of inspiration.

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“I said to my brother ‘why don’t we climb the Cobbler?’, and he said ‘let’s go for it’.

“I’ve climbed it umpteen times before but doing it in PPE, with my own clothing underneath, was tough.

“It adds around an extra three stone so it was heavy, and hot and sweaty inside.”

While the sight of a fully kitted out firefighter 884 metres up a mountain may have provided a a good laugh for other hillwalkers, father-of-one Christopher said it was all for an important cause.

He added: “I have a daughter myself and we are privileged to have our health.

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“CHAS looks after a lot of children in need, and I’d helped raise about £2,500 previously for them, so I knew that was the charity for me.

“A lot of places are struggling just now and every penny counts.

“I’m not going to lie, it was tough, but it’s a brilliant total raised so far.

“It also gives other people motivation to do something, and it seems to be a thing just now with a lot of firefighters doing these sorts of challenges.”

Christopher has collected £6000 so far; to donate, visit gofundme.com/f/cobbler-climb-in-fire-fighters-ppe.

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