Anthony’s heart in the right place in Munro tribute to father-in-law

Anthony Denovan, 30, from Scotstounhill, carried a memorial stone to each of the summits – Munros are peaks of at least 3,000ft – as a personal tribute to 58-year-old Davie Robertson from Corstorphine, all the while fundraising for British Heart Foundation (BHF) Scotland.

Anthony said: “Davie was selfless, kind and the epitome of charitable. He was always doing sponsored walks and runs for numerous charities and never grumbled at the hard task ahead. When Davie passed away many charities lost one of their true heroes.

“I had to find something suitably difficult as Davie wouldn’t have let me live it down if I didn’t.

“Davie had started to climb Munros as a pastime and had managed a mighty 12 before his death. So, in the spirit of competition and charity, I set myself the challenge of climbing double the Munros Davie had over a few months. I like to think I’m still helping him bag Munros even after he’s gone.”

Improving survival rates from heart attacks is one of the BHF’s key ambitions and the charity is currently funding 18 projects in Scotland worth £8.6 million in an effort to reach this goal.

Today, at least seven out of ten people survive a heart attack but the BHF would like to see that number rise to nine of out ten by 2030.

James Cant, director of BHF Scotland, said: “What a fitting tribute Anthony has paid to his father-in-law and we are so grateful for his support.

“Every 50 minutes in Scotland someone is admitted to hospital due to a heart attack, so you can see just how significant a health concern it is for our country. Huge advances have been made in the last 50 years but we want to do more.

“That is why our lifesaving research is so important and why supporters like Anthony make such a difference to our work. Our vision is a world without heart and circulatory disease and quite simply, we cannot achieve this without such fantastic fundraisers.”

Anthony is still finalising his fundraising total but hopes to have collected more than £600 in Davie’s memory.

Around three in 10 people in Scotland die from heart and circulatory diseases – leading to the country being labelled the ‘sick man of Europe’. That’s why the British Heart Foundation funds world-leading research into their causes, prevention, treatment and cure.

Advances from research have saved and improved millions of lives, but heart diseases, stroke, vascular dementia and their risk factors such as diabetes still cause heartbreak on every street. With the public’s support, funding will drive researchers to make breakthroughs and new discoveries.

Find out more at bhf.org.uk