Climbers do their bit by scaling new heights

Instead of running the marathon, 50 climbers shared the task of scaling the same distance in height of the London event to raise £15,000 for two charities.

The members of the University of Surrey Mountaineering Club (USMC) averaged around half a mile each by climbing a wall at the Craggy Island Indoor Climbing Centre on Saturday to complete its Vertical Marathon event.

The participants all aged between 18 and 33 completed a total of 42,195 metres with four members climbing over a mile each.

The challenge began early on Saturday morning and took just under eight hours to complete.

MP Anne Milton and the Mayor of Guildford, Angela Gunning, both commented on how it was a 'fantastic and innovative way of raising money for two really deserving charities.'

The club will divide the donations received between the Mountain Rescue Council (MRC) and Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY).

The MRC was chosen because of the club's regular trips to mountainous areas and the vital role performed by the Mountain Rescue teams.

CRY, a charity that focused on heart conditions and sudden adult death, was chosen because it is a charity dear to club members.