A blind teenager will tackle an ancient Celtic walking route, dressed in full ancient attire, to raise funds for charity.
William Kent, 18, will follow the seven-mile route from his home to a Perthshire hill fort every day for a week, beginning on Monday.
William will recite poetry and sound ancient instruments at the peak of the hill each day, as well as placing a painted stone and saying the words: “Let their great burden be represented by this weight I have carried up here today.”
William found inspiration from other fundraisers. He said: “I was motivated by hearing about a variety of other people across the country doing a wide range of activities to raise money for the NHS to fight the covid pandemic.
“I heard about people such as Colonel Tom who haven’t let age or disability stand in their way, and I wanted to show that just because I’m blind it doesn’t mean I can’t do my bit to help support the NHS in this difficult time.
“I want to help support the funding of research into a vaccine, the manufacture of PPE equipment that is needed so staff can treat patients safely and every little helps.”
He said: “Over the years the NHS and its staff have supported me through some difficult times and now I want to give back to them.
“This includes much time spent diagnosing my eye condition which has caused me to go blind, sorting my teeth out following an incident and numerous operations when I was younger.”
His mother, Laura, described him as “kindhearted” in expressing her pride in his endeavour.
She said: “We are very proud of him.
“He is a kindhearted young man who always thinks of others and how he can help them.
“Him wanting to do this, especially with his historical slant, is absolutely typical of him.”
Donations to William’s fundraiser can be made through his JustGiving page.
