Lanarkshire ex-soldier to climb summit to raise funds for armed forces charity

dailyrecord.co.uk:

An ex-soldier is climbing Ben A’an to raise funds for charity that helped him cope with his injuries. Andy McIntosh, chairman of SSAFA Lanarkshire and ex-soldier of Cheshire Regiment, has taken on a new mission to raise money for SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity.

The idea to climb Ben A'an originally came from a fitness facility, Strathaven FTPT who he has been working with.The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now.

Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android Andy’s goal is to scale the 1512ft summit and smash his £1000 fundraising target.Because of injuries sustained during his service, his ascent to the peak is likely to take five, perhaps more, hours, with an overnight camp before his descent the following day.

Andy told Lanarkshire Live : “I was injured in an incident while serving, but left the Army fully fit - or that's what I thought. "One day at work, I collapsed and after much investigation it was found that I had over a hundred blood clots."The main vein that carries the blood from my leg back to my heart had disintegrated and this was put down to the trauma of the incident.“I was told back in 2011 I would never be able to work again and for the next 10 years, I was living in chronic, constant pain, and was pumped full of morphine and other painkillers."That in turn has damaged my kidneys and one of my lungs is permanently collapsed due to