Grant and Susan take on ‘City in the Clouds’ charity challenge

Fairfield Housing Co-operative colleagues Grant Ager and Susan Bell are stepping-up training for a charity challenge which will test them to the max.

The Perth-based duo have committed to a demanding trek to the spectacular Unesco World Heritage Site of Machu Picchu, in Peru.

The ‘City in the Clouds’ is at nearly 8,000 feet above sea level and so this will be no stroll in the park, as they raise cash and awareness for Motor Neurone Disease Scotland after being inspired by political researcher Gordon Aikman’s brave campaign before his death in February at the age of 31.

Fairfield chief Executive and Perthshire Chamber of Commerce Vice-president Grant, who hails from Dundee, said:

“Gordon’s Fightback’ has done so much to raise awareness of a cruel disease which can afflict anyone, of any age. Former Holland and Rangers footballer Fernando Ricksen is also a sufferer, and closer to home I know of others fighting the disease. It is heart-breaking.

“We have supported various causes at Fairfield down the years and opted for MND Scotland after talking it over in the office.”

Grant and Susan, from Perth, admit they’re nervous about the daunting six-day challenge which awaits them in September.

Neither are fitness fanatics, and they are stepping-up preparations over the summer, with walking, climbing and running on the agenda.

Susan said:

“This is a genuine challenge for us both. When we arrive in Cusco, after four flights to get there, we will have just one acclimatisation trek before we set off the very next day.

“Altitude is going to be an issue, with the Salkantay Pass at 4,600 metres, before we descend into Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Incas. To put things in perspective, Ben Nevis is 1,345 metres, and we don’t know how the altitude will affect us until we get there.

“It is the challenge rather than the Inca history which appeals to me. My husband Gary knows more about Machu Picchu than me!

“I want to test myself and tell my daughters all about it when they are older.”

The pair have set an ambitious fundraising target of £8,000 by 30 June and are more than half-way there, with pledges flooding in from friends and the business community.

Grant said:

“We have been warned it will be around eight hours and more on the trail each day, with some relentless climbing towards the end. You have to finish or you’ll find yourself being taken back down on a donkey – and I don’t fancy that!”

Donations can be made at www.justgiving.com/companyteams/GrantandsusanMachuPicchu or by contacting the Fairfield office on 01738 630738