A sporty four-year-old from Fife has bagged 10 munros to raise money for a mental health charity.
Marnie Cumine, from Crail, found a love for munro bagging with her mum during lockdown.
After reaching a couple of summits, the pair decided to climb 10 before Marnie’s fifth birthday to raise money for a charity close to the family.
On Wednesday, the youngster successfully climbed her 10th munro and hopes her efforts will go towards improving the lives of people with schizophrenia.
Marnie and her mum, Josie Cumine, have already raised more than £600 for Schizophrenia Research and smashed their £500 target before Marnie’s birthday.
Josie posts clips regularly on TikTok about their outdoor treks.
One more personal video featured Josie’s brother, Adder Shepherd, who has schizophrenia.
The video told how Adder visits the family most evenings to watch films and spend time with his nieces and nephew.
It has been viewed more than three million times and has over 3,700 comments.
“We’d already started doing the munros because of lockdown,” said Josie, 31.
“Then we had the viral TikTok video about my brother, so it just made sense to try to do it for something she cares about.”
All the money raised from the challenge will go towards supporting schizophrenia research.
Energetic
Marnie will be turning five on October 25, but the mother and daughter pair managed to conquer their 10th munro this week, ahead of schedule.
“She has taken to it like a duck to water,” said proud mum Josie.
“It’s quite unusual and I don’t know where she gets her drive from.
“We once did three munros in one day, then she wanted to go out on her bike afterwards.”
Josie is already considering a bonus munro before the big day.
They started with smaller hills towards the start of Marnie’s journey, such as Conic Hill, before progressing to tougher terrains.
“I did Ben Vorlich with a couple of friends and I felt so tired afterwards,” said Josie.
“It wasn’t until I was out with Marnie again that I realised it’s because she wasn’t there.
“We keep each other going.
“She does get tired but she’s my little motivator. She always seems to get a second, third and fourth wind.”
‘My little motivator’
Josie said that Marnie’s favourite trek was going up Ben Lomond.
“It’s absolutely beautiful,” said Josie.
The final summit for the pair was Schiehallion, which stands at more than 1,000 metres tall.
The mountain has a rocky finish, but Marnie was still full of energy when she reached the top.
Marnie’s efforts have already raised hundreds for the mental health charity, with passing hill walkers even donating to the cause.
Josie added: “I think it’s amazing what she’s doing.
“She loves her uncle Adder and she doesn’t think of him any differently.
“Schizophrenia is really misunderstood and not enough is known about it.
“There’s a lot of stigma around it, but we’ve managed to have a lot of positive conversations on TikTok.
“People have been happy to see a much more normal portrayal of the illness.
“He is just a loving uncle who is always happy to see his nieces and nephews.”
However, a few people have been less than accepting on the social media platform.
“We’ve had a few comments saying ‘you shouldn’t have him near children, he’s dangerous’,” said Josie.
“But both the children and Adder benefit from the relationship.
“The vast majority of people with schizophrenia aren’t dangerous and are more likely to harm themselves than anyone else.
“It’s just how they’ve been portrayed in the media and films.”
Josie and Marnie hope that their efforts will go a long way towards changing the stigma and improving the lives of people with schizophrenia.
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