Former Aberdeen powerlifter to take on Three Peaks challenge in memory of 'tough as old boots' gran

A former north-east powerlifter who’s never been interested in cardio exercise is preparing to climb three of the UK’s most famous mountains in memory of his beloved Grandma.

Paul McEwen, 29, who lives to the north of Aberdeen, will take on The National Three Peaks Challenge in aid of the MS Society after his grandmother, Margaret Young, battled multiple sclerosis (MS) for about 20 years.

She sadly died last June, and her devoted grandson searched for a difficult challenge that would force him to “dig deep” so he could adequately honour Margaret, who he described as “tough”.

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Paul, who has been accompanied on some of his training walks and climbs by wife Nicole and their dachshund Harry, said: "My grandmother was a wonderful woman with a strong mentality. My granda worked away a lot so my grandma was a very independent person and did a lot of things for herself.

"She worked for a long time, including as a nurse when they lived in Glasgow – she never lost that caring nature. We stayed with my grandma quite a lot when we were kids and she did a lot of things for us; she was very hands on.

"She drove, and she had freedom, which, as time went on, got taken away more and more as her MS progressed. Grandma lost the use of her legs and became dependant on those around her, which was difficult for her after being so independent.

"In the last 10 months prior to her passing away, she struggled with infection after infection, had numerous admissions to hospital, and her quality of life wasn't present. But I never once experienced my grandma being negative.

"It was never ‘woe is me’, she just got on with it, which has always been a massive inspiration to me. People who knew her say she was as tough as old boots! She was resilient right up until the end.

"Her battle will forever be an inspiration to me and my family. I've thought long and hard about what I could do to honour her and raise money for this wonderful charity.

"I've had a few ideas with one common theme: put myself in a position where I have to dig deep to come through it. The Three Peaks is one of the toughest challenges the UK has to offer.

"It’s going to be physically and mentally tough. It will be a whole new experience for me but one I’m really looking forward to."

MS is a condition that affects the brain and spinal cord. It impacts how people move, think and feel.

Paul will join a small team, put together by travel and adventure company Bookitlist, to climb the highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales in less than 24 hours.

They’ll tackle the UK’s highest peak first – Scotland’s Ben Nevis, which stands at 1345m (4,413 ft) – setting off early on Friday, June 7.

The climbers will have a chance to rest and refuel as they’re driven to Scafell Pike in England (978m/3,209ft) and will end their challenge by summiting Yr Wyddfa/Snowdon (1085m/3,560ft), hopefully in time to watch the sunrise from the top.

Despite never having done – or been interested in – anything like this before, Paul is feeling ready for the challenge.

He continued: "Hillwalking is completely new to me. I’ve been a heavy gym-goer for about 10 years and for a couple of years I did competitive powerlifting. But cardio has always been a bit of a shortfall for me so it’s been a bit of a steep learning curve to get myself up to a decent cardio base, to make sure I’ve got enough in the tank to complete this challenge.

"I’m surprised by how quickly my cardio fitness level has crept up. I think, physically, I feel the best I ever have done since doing the training.

"When I think about the height of each mountain individually it’s quite daunting. But then you realise – I’ve got three of them near enough in a row to do! Sometimes I sit back and think this is going to be hard! But that’s what I wanted.

"There have been occasions when I’ve been training when I’ve thought ‘oh this is hard’ and I’ve wanted to stop. I’m trying to train my mind to get past that feeling.

"I think the adrenaline during the event will help to push me on, and doing it in a group will be a massive boost for me as well. I also don’t want to let anyone else in the group down or hold them back because they’ll all have their reasons for doing it.

"I have so much incentive to complete this challenge, and so many things that are pushing me to do it. That’s what I constantly remind myself of when I’m training.

"There are some hills about 20 minutes away from where I stay. I go up and down those once a week and try to beat my time on each occasion. I also do a longer hike that’s over 10km.

"I’ve been out into the Cairngorms, into Angus, just to try to get as much elevation as possible. And I’m planning some higher climbs closer to the event. I think I’ll probably keep up with it once I’ve finished this challenge. Some of the scenery I’ve seen has been absolutely amazing."

The MS Society is the UK’s leading charity for people affected by MS. In addition to funding research and campaigning, the charity also offers emotional support, and information about the condition.

Across the UK, including in Scotland, local groups bring people together to reduce isolation, host events and activities and be there for the MS community in their locations.

Margaret, who was just 74 when she died, received support from the MS Society after she was diagnosed in the early 2000s.

Paul also found the charity invaluable when he wanted to understand more about what his grandmother was going through.

Appreciative of the help he and his grandmother received, he’s signed up to volunteer with the MS Society’s Aberdeen local group once his challenge is over.

Margaret was born in Edinburgh, later moving to Glasgow, where she met Paul’s grandad Jim Young. The couple moved to Blackburn so he could work in Aberdeenshire’s oil and gas industry.

When Jim died in 2018, Margaret moved closer to Paul’s parents in Aberdeen.

Paul, who was the middle grandchild of Margaret’s three, added: "My wife Nicole and my grandma got on so well. We’d go round and the three of us would chat for ages.

"We had a really close bond. Grandma was a really funny person. She just had this wit. The three of us all had really good quality time together. It was a special time to be around her.

"I do think she’d be immensely proud if she knew I was taking on this challenge. She always wanted us all to do well. She wanted to see you go as far as you could possibly take yourself.

"This would have been a massive thing for her to experience. It would have been a lovely thing for her to see. I want to do my grandma proud and I know she would be."

Morna Simpkins, Director of MS Society Scotland, said: "We would like to say a huge thank you and good luck to Paul for taking on the National Three Peaks Challenge for MS Society Scotland. And an additional thank you for choosing to volunteer with our Aberdeen local group.

"More than 17,000 people in Scotland live with MS and more than 150,000 across the whole of the UK. For 70 years we have been at the forefront of support, research, and campaigning to improve the lives of people with MS. Without people like Paul raising funds and giving up their time we wouldn’t be able to continue with this vital work."

You can sponsor Paul here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/threepeaksform. Find out how to take on your own challenge in support of the MS Society here: https://www.mssociety.org.uk/get-involved/fundraise