A VALE man endured a gruelling trek to the top of Ben Lomond in searing heat to raise thousands of pounds for a specialist ward which cared for his nephew who is battling leukaemia.

James Green, 45, who lives in Willowbank Gardens in Alexandria was joined by 11 family members and close friends – and a dog - as they set out in soaring temperatures to reach the top of the munro and raise money for the Schiehallion Unit at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children. The group look to have raised somewhere in the region of £3,000 for their efforts. Donations on a Just Giving page are nearing £1,800 with more coming in elsewhere.

James's nephew Kai Green from north-east Glasgow has been receiving treatment at the ward, which was formerly situated at Yorkhill, since first being diagnosed with the illness back in April 2013.

A dyed-in-the-wool Celtic supporter, James first realised something was wrong when he took Kai and his older brother Sean to a Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden. The then five-year-old complained that his legs were sore and days later the family were devastated to hear that he had leukaemia.

The eight-year-old has battled against the odds and to look at him you wouldn't know he had been through such a tough time.

Also taking part in the event was Darren Cowbie, 20, who lost his five-year-old brother Brandon to cancer in 2010. He has raised £13,000 for charity in Brandon's memory.

It was the second time that the Green family and close friends had trekked up the mountain to raise cash for the unit as their way of saying than you for the care and attention given to Kai during his illness. Each completed the 974 metres climb at their own pace but James admits it was a lot easier last time around.

He said: "It was cloudy the first time we did it two years ago but this time the heat was sweltering and the midges were eating us. The scenery was amazing but when it's that hot and you have suncream in your eyes it's harder to appreciate. It was hard going, physically tough, I stopped every half hour or 40 minutes for about a minute and had a drink and off again. We don't do hillwalking and I won't be taking up munro bagging as a hobby – our knees and legs were sore but the pain we suffered on that one day is nothing to what Kai and other children have to go through every day."

Despite completing the climb relatively quickly given the conditions, James was left feeling blue at the summit. He revealed: "A few people had pledged hundreds of pounds if I got my picture taken at the top wearing a Rangers top."

Darren also admitted it wasn't a leisurely outing, saying: "It was harder than I thought it was going to be. I pulled a thigh muscle and it's actually harder coming back down than going up and you are trying not to fall."

Amongst the others with weary legs after reaching the summit of the mountain were James' niece Kelly Ann, nephew Connor and his mum Ann Marie.

Kelly Ann also found the going tough, she said: "The last time it was fun but it was really hard going this time. We ran out of water about two-thirds of the way up and still had to reach the top and back down."

Anyone wishing to donate can do so at the page set up by Ann Marie at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Ann-Marie-Birnie