A FATHER and son team will go sky high in their efforts to raise money of a loved one.

Chris Wrede and his two sons Ethan, 17, and Seth, 15, are flying out to Tanzania to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for Blue Skye Thinking

It is a charity set up in memory of the boys’ cousin, Skye Hall, who died in 2014 from the side effects of treatment for medulloblastoma, an aggressive and cancerous brain tumour.

The terrific trio, from Stalbridge. are hoping to raise £1,000 towards the charity’s recently launched Aim Skye High Appeal.

The appeal aims to raise £50,000 towards a three year Post Doctoral research position at the renowned Northern Institute for Cancer Research.

Through the appeal, the charity is encouraging people to think of a new and very different way to raise money and come up with fundraising ideas that are a little crazy, a touch unconventional, original and creative.

Chris, 52, who runs his own travel company said: “We wanted to raise money for Blue Skye thinking as Skye is always still very much in our thoughts. The charity recently reached an amazing milestone of fundraising enough money to fund its first four year PhD researcher who has joined the paediatric brain tumour research group at the Northern Institute for Cancer Research with the hope of making a breakthrough for new treatments for brain tumours. Their next goal is the Post Doctoral position to ensure the work is continued.

“Our climb is also a personal challenge for Ethan who spent almost a year in a wheelchair due to a slipped upper femoral epiphysis and before having a total hip replacement in 2014 at age 15 and subsequent operations to equal the length of his legs. We’ve done a few practice treks in the Lake District in preparation but are saving ourselves for the big one so we can aim high for Skye - Kilimanjaro here we come.”

More than 350 children a year in the UKare diagnosed with a brain tumour, yet only just over one per cent of cancer funding goes towards research into brain tumours.

Sally Hall, founder of Blue Skye Thinking and mum to Skye added: “Chris and the boys are the first of who we hope are many people to want to raise money for our Skye High Appeal. It’s a great idea for a challenge and demonstrates a genuine ability to think ‘outside the box’ and not be deterred from wanting to strive to overcome personal and society difficulties.

“If anyone else is inspired to host their own event or undertake a challenge just take a look at the fundraising pack on our website and get planning. It could be something that no one’s ever thought of or done before. Or it could be a new twist on an old favourite: a cake no one’s baked before or shave off half a beard. All we ask is that you add your creativity and inspiration because it will demonstrate the power of blue sky thinking and the more out of the box it is, the more talked about it will be but above all it’s exactly what Skye would have loved.”

Visit justgiving.com/fundraising/Jackie-Woon1