While most people use cherry-pickers to reach great heights, one Meigle man will be using his to cover great distances.
Trevor Robertson will be using this novel form of transport to undertake a mammoth 10,000-mile journey from Perth to Mongolia, all in the name of charity.
The intrepid freelance mechanic will travel over some of the world’s most difficult terrains to deliver the mobile machinery to the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation in Ulan Bator, where it will help build much-needed nurseries and orphanages.
However, despite seven months of hard work and repeatedly approaching local businesses, Trevor has been unable to get near his £17,000 target, which has also led to the Bald Avengers team losing a member.
“It was supposed to be me and my brother Ben going, but he has had to back out of it because of a lack of funding,” he said.
“He’s really into outdoor pursuits, so we would have made a great team, but unfortunately he can’t go.
“He was hoping to put it off until next year, but I had already made commitments to people, so I’m going it alone.
“I’m just gutted that we’ve had so little response from people and I can’t believe how few small businesses are willing to take up this opportunity for publicity because I will have a film crew following me all the way.
“I understand that it’s hard in the current economic climate, but no one has suffered from the downturn more than the charities.”
Undeterred, Trevor will head off on his Mongolian adventure on July 20, which will also raise money for Cash For Kids, Help For Heroes and Tayside Mountain Rescue.
He is hoping his trusty cherry-picker, nicknamed Cherry Baldie, will be able to cope with the extremely challenging terrains he will encounter, including a jaunt across the Gobi Desert and along the Pamir Highway- the second highest road in the world at 4655 metres.
The 44-year-old admits he has not been able to spend as much time as he would like preparing himself physically and mentally for the adventure.ToughHe added, “It’s going to be tough but I’m just going to go for it and ensure that I make it to the end.
“I wish I had time to prepare, but I’m putting so much effort into getting funds and sponsorship that I have no time for anything else.
In a final bid to drum up more sponsorship, Trevor will be hosting a night of music and entertainment dubbed Bald-Aid at Sportsters bar in Perth on Sunday, July 18.
The event will feature tribute acts Jamirrorquai and Amy Winehotes, as well as local bands Gruesome Green Fever and Andripov.
Tickets for the evening cost £8 and are available from www.baldavengers.com, with all proceeds going directly to charity.
Donations can be made at www.justgiving.com/TheBaldAvengerscashforkids or www.justgiving.com/TheBaldAvengers.