On August 18th Archie and Ross Maclean will start their campaign to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust. At 19,340ft the mighty Kilimanjaro is the highest free-standing mountain in the world and with neither Maclean having much climbing experience, this should be an eventful trip. Over eleven days, Archie (53) and Ross (25) will endure the hardest physical challenge either of them have encountered as they attempt to achieve a new year's resolution with a difference.

It started innocently enough at a Christmas meal at the end of 2009, possibly with a little drink involved. Challenges for the following year were being set, with losing weight and learning a musical instrument featuring as usual, but for the Maclean pair there was something more ambitious lying in wait. When the business man suggested working harder, family and friends recoiled in horror, agreeing that Archie worked hard enough and needed to look further afield to set a big goal for 2010. Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro for charity was suggested and it only took another few drinks for Archie to rise to the challenge, agreeing that while this would be a more than worthwhile adventure he needed a partner to share in the climb. Sitting across the table was Ross, the easiest target and easy to pin down, though ever a man for a dare he too took little persuading. Father and son have spent the last few months meeting with the charity and organising special fund-raising events, including a fantastic competition to win a Toyota IQ, which has been donated by Border Toyota and will be key to their success in hitting their extremely ambitious target - £100,000.  All the costs for the climb will be paid by Border Toyota and every penny donated will go directly to the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Anyone who knows Archie and Ross won't be surprised at them taking on this challenge for Teenage Cancer Trust. Both of them are hugely enthusiastic, intensely competitive and very focused and while part of a very close family unit also greatly enjoy a large extended family and a warm group of good friends. In that position, they have seen rather too many people close to them suffer the ravages of cancer, with all its attendant worries from the side effects of treatment to the impact on family life. For Ross, part of it is the awareness that he is at the upper end of the age group Teenage Cancer Trust focus on, and cannot help but wonder what it must be like to be in that position at that age. With Archie, as for so many parents who have constant contact with young children and teenagers going about their busy lives, it's an awareness that this is something which could happen to anyone and therefore he is more than happy to put the effort in to make life a bit easier for them.

Happily, both of them have got over their shyness issues and are able to ask all and sundry for donations - all welcome - but in true Maclean fashion they've decided to make it just that bit more tempting to get involved with the promise of a prize. So if you haven't already done so, copy and paste this link and forward it to everyone you know - after all, who could possibly resist the chance to win a car for a fiver?

Training
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The Climb

The mighty Kilimanjaro (19,340ft) is the highest free-standing mountain in the world and dominates its landscape unlike any other mountain. Located in Tanzania, this extinct volcano looms over five eco-systems and large game reserves and is one of the world's most impressive sights, with terrain which is nothing short of dramatic. As one of the most fascinating and diverse regions on earth, Kilimanjaro has always attracted both climbers and nature enthusiasts with its magnetism. Archie and Ross will face the challenges of the ascent up this great peak bolstered by the knowledge that their every effort will be more than worth it to see the Teenage Cancer Trust benefit to such an extent, yet the experience on a personal level is bound to be one of the most intense and exciting they have ever enjoyed. This is no walk in the park and it cannot be achieved without courage, determination and sheer hard work, but reaching that summit will be a very special moment not just for Archie and Ross, but for everyone supporting and encouraging them throughout this venture.

Border Motor Group

Border Motor Group is a family run business which was established in 1991 with its first centre located in St Boswells in the Scottish Borders. Since then the company has grown considerably and now has two additional showrooms in Dumfries and Carlisle. Border Motor Group prides itself on customer satisfaction and has been awarded the highest possible accolade offered by Toyota, The Ichiban Award. This goes to the Toyota Centre with the highest score for complete customer satisfaction in each of Toyota Motor Corporation's twenty seven European markets. In addition to winning Ichiban Border Toyota were also voted the Number 1 Dealer Group in the UK for complete customer satisfaction with exceptional performances from all of their centres.