AN AYR man who conquered Ben Nevis presented the money he raised to a cause close to his heart.

John Murasev was waved off on his three-day hike to climb the tallest mountain in Britain on Friday, August 11.

He raised an astonishing £2,430 for the animal welfare charity, the Scottish SPCA.

Speaking previously to the Ayr Advertiser Series, he said: “The money will be going to the SSPCA.

“I chose them because animals have always been close to my heart and the thought of them being mistreated, abandoned and hurt is just awful.

“I wanted to do something to help them and stamp out people that do the horrible things and help the animals.

“My wife and I got our two dogs, King and Jasper, from the SSPCA at the Cardonald branch and the Milton branch outside Dumbarton.”
Scottish SPCA, chief executive Kirsteen Campbell, added: “We are overwhelmed by the support John gives us here at the society.

“He regularly takes part in a variety of our fundraisers, including collecting at Pets At Home. 

“To then take on such a huge challenge like Ben Nevis – it’s simply incredible. His efforts truly have made a huge difference to the animals in our care.

“We don’t receive any government or lottery funding, and rely entirely on generous donations made by the public.

“In this challenge alone John raised £2,430, even more amazing was that he only took eight hours to conquer Ben Nevis.”