Worthing boy climbs Ben Nevis virtually in honour of his grandad

William Barber, known as William Junior as he is named after his dad, wanted to raise money for Mesothelioma UK after his grandad Albert Warren was diagnosed with a malignant tumour, linked to asbestos exposure.

He set about climbing up and down the stairs at home repeatedly, clocking 8,810 steps in total, the equivalent of climbing Scotland’s iconic mountain.

William Junior said: “Thank you everyone so much for sponsoring me. This was for my granddad, who sadly passed away, and also the people who are suffering from this disease as well.”

Sadly, Albert died part way through William Junior’s challenge but the eight-year-old Lancing Prep Worthing pupil continued and after his 587 flights of the stairs, he ended up raising more than £2,500.

Dad William Barber said: “He did really well. We used a website to calculate how many steps to do each day and it took him 10 days. He is really happy. He wants to carry on and look at other ways to raise money.”

Albert, who lived in Upper Dicker, had Non-Hodgkin lymphoma four years ago but after treatment, was given the all clear. When he became poorly again last year, the disease was linked to his work with asbestos many years ago.

Mum Jess Barber said: “My dad was diagnosed in September 2020 with mesothelioma. The prognosis of this condition is limited due to the nature of the disease and his condition rapidly deteriorated.

“William Junior wanted to do something to help grandad and although we couldn’t help him, we can help raise awareness of this condition.

“I didn’t really understand much about the disease but I do know that the charity needs much support in fundraising. They are finding out more information and recent research into mesothelioma has shown a drug called Nivolumab has shown to increase survival and stabilise the disease. Until now, no other treatment has been able to demonstrate this.”

Visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/william-barber4 for more information and to make a donation.