A GROUP of keen boxers are gearing up to take on a series of tough mountain climbs over the course of 24 hours.

Six members of Alloa Boxing Club will be aiming to complete the National 3 Peaks challenge, which details climbing the UKs highest peaks in the space of one day.

The group will have to climb Snowdon in Wales which has a maximum height of 3,560 feet and

then travel to Scafell Pike in England, the shortest of the three at 3,309 ft.

Lastly, they will ascend Ben Nevis in Scotland, the toughest of the three sitting in at 4,411 feet.

The group aim to complete this with the intention of raising funds for the boxing club, in the hopes of securing a minibus which will allow them to drive younger members to fights away from home.

John Whyte, coach at Alloa Boxing Club, said this will allow kids at the club to gain valuable experience competing.

He said: “It will be a good challenge and we’ve been looking forward to it for a while.

“We’ve currently got 20 kids registered to compete in tournaments around Scotland, so ideally if we get a minibus, we’ll be able to get more kids at tournaments.

“We’ll be able to get them competing more and sparring with other clubs around Scotland which is valuable experience for them going forward.”

The group will be embarking on their challenge on Sunday, July 9 – setting off from Wales at 9am and aiming to finish at the peak of Ben Nevis at roughly 6am on Monday, July 10.

Craig McEwan is a member of the club and one of the six taking on the challenge and says it will be tough, but he thinks the group have it in their locker to achieve their goal.

He said: “John and others work tirelessly giving back to the youngsters of the community which throws a lifeline to the youth in the community and offers much needed direction.”

“I think sleep deprivation might be a big factor – some of us are 40+ so getting on a hill might be easy enough but then sitting down, driving to the next one and doing it all over again might be tough.

“They’re all fit guys who train regularly so I think we’ll go on and smash it.”

The boxing club is looking to raise £2,500 and have launched a GoFundMe to help them raise the cash.

Donate via crowdfunder.co.uk/p/fundraiser-to-go-towards-well-needed-minibus.