A former soldier from Colne has shared his extreme experiences following a gruelling climb up the highest mountain in Britain.
Coun. Neil Butterworth took on the Ben Nevis challenge with his partner Sharon Warren to continue raising awareness of Help For Heroes — the charity closest to his heart.
While hiking up the 4,409ft. mountain Coun. Butterworth came across a beautiful poem in memory of a dad. He stopped to read the touching tribute, before then continuing his trek.
Just 10 minutes later, he received a “surreal” phone call, telling him that his own mum Winnie had died of pneumonia.
Coun. Butterworth, who is currently in the process of setting up a Friends’ scheme for Colne care homes, said: “It was a beautiful day, absolutely stunning, and the views were amazing.
“I was walking up and I found this poem. Ten minutes later I was told about my mum — it was surreal. My family hadn’t been able to get hold of me because of the signal.”