AN ALEXANDRIA man who lost his brother to a heart attack admits it was his nephew’s idea to do a fundraising climb of Ben Lomond in memory of his late dad.

George Gray’s older brother Scott died suddenly in October 2022, leaving behind his family and 11-year-old son Connor.

Despite continuing to live with the grief of losing Scott, youngster Connor decided he wanted to bring the family together and do something for his dad’s legacy.

Dumbarton and Vale of Leven Reporter: The day was all in memory of Scott Gray, who died in October 2022The day was all in memory of Scott Gray, who died in October 2022 (Image: Supplied)

So, to achieve this, he called on his uncles, George and Stewart and mum Stacey, as well as his grandparents to come together and raise some funds for the British Heart Foundation by climbing the most southern Munro in Scotland.

Uncle George explained it was young Connor who inspired the group of eight – all of whom were climbing their first Munro – to get the boots on and get walking.

Speaking exclusively to the Reporter, George said: “Connor came up with the idea to remember his dad.

“It was he who came up with a plan because he wanted to do something worthwhile and for charity.

“So, my wee nephew thought, why don’t a group of us climb Ben Lomond, and that’s where it came from.”

Although the sun stayed out for their climb on Sunday, October 22, temperatures were chilly, and George described his changing attire during his debut on the hills.

“We had plenty of layers on, well at the start anyway,” he continued.

“Me personally, I started off with about five layers and then, about halfway up I was down to a t-shirt and shorts.

“But closer to the top, a few people had to put more layers on because it got cold again.”

Dumbarton and Vale of Leven Reporter: The family had a banner for Connor and his friends at the bottomThe family had a banner for Connor and his friends at the bottom (Image: Supplied)

Following the trek – which took the Gray clan five hours - a total of £2,230 was raised on their GoFundMe page and they are confident they have another £400 coming in from paper sponsorship.

And George – admitting they all hugged at the top - added keeping his late big brother in his thoughts during the ascent helped keep everyone going.

He finished: “It spurred us up, the full group.

“Especially me, my other brother, Connor and Connor’s mum.

"It was a big deal.”