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A BLACK Isle woman taking on a five-day 260km Arctic sled trek for a cause close to her heart has already smashed the £7000 target she set through events ranging from a gruelling 24-hour treadmill challenge to a hugely successful gin tasting.

Roma McIntosh and pal Amanda Johnson, of Inverness, originally set their sights on bringing home £7000 for Highland Hospice from the frozen Norwegian north.

Having got the bit between their teeth, they’ve already doubled that months ahead of the March 2023 Husky Trail Challenge.

A recent gin tasting event netted over £2000, featuring an attractive top raffle prize of a two-night short stay in the brand new Loch Ewe Pods in Aultbea.

RELATED: Frozen Arctic trek to bring warm glow to hospice

Roma earlier took on a 24-hour treadmill challenge at the Asda in Inverness. She said: “The treadmill was good. I walked from 8am on Tuesday, August 9 to 8am on Wednesday, August 20 with a five minute break every hour – except the first one when I was still a bit gung-ho about it all!

“I got great support from the Asda manager Craig and his staff. The gym I use, Everlast, sent three different lots of two staff for a couple of hours at a time each, which was great company during the day. By 12 hours in I still felt fine physically but the next 12 hours seemed a very long stretch.

“My daughter appeared about 8.30pm supposedly just to visit, and to ply me with food and water but, being stubborn, she ended up staying till the 24-hour mark. It was brilliant to have her with me as we just blethered the whole time.

“By 6am the old legs were pretty stiff and my hourly five-minute break seemed to pass even faster. Craig arranged a tannoy announcement and collection of staff to clap me in at 8am which was lovely. By the end I had some of the biggest blisters I’ve ever seen but the stiff legs only lasted a day or two.

“We raised £570 and gave away an afternoon tea for two kindly donated by The Royal Highland Hotel to the person that guessed closest to the 64.4 miles I walked.”

Her son-in-law Dave meanwhile has cycled the NC500 for the cause, quipping: “Who wouldn’t happily raise money to send their mother-in-law to a frozen Arctic wasteland?”

On the driving force for the duo’s efforts, she said: “We, like many, have seen friends lose loved ones from cancer and have seen the pain and suffering endured. Cancer touches us all in different ways. Highland Hospice offers terminally ill patients and their families the best possible care and support, helping improve their quality of life.”

She said the pandemic also brought home how short life is and how quickly time passes. This has had a sobering effect on us and has made us begin to do things that push us out of our comfort zone.”

See www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Amanda-Roma