A SET of intrepid twins from Tiverton are aiming to complete the Three Peaks Challenge, which includes climbing the UK’s three highest mountains in under 24 hours to raise money for the MS Society.

Richard and Chris Salter, both 22 years old, from Tiverton chose the charity as it has been a huge support to their mum who lives with multiple sclerosis (MS).

After being diagnosed with the condition as a teenager she remained symptom free for most of her their early life. However over the past ten years her sons have watched her slowly deteriorate as the condition has progressed. She is now unable to walk and struggles to say more than a couple of words at a time.

More than 100,000 people in the UK are living with MS. Most people are diagnosed in their 20s and 30s. MS is unpredictable, one day you can be fine, the next you might lose your sight or be unable to move.

Their mum was a member of a local group run by the Exeter and District Branch of the MS Society which helped to give her some independence back. They took her on outings from group meals to trips to the theatre; and also helped contribute towards paying for a mobility scooter and for her sons to get university textbooks and go on school trips

The brothers raised over £9000 last year after they both summited Mt Kilimanjaro, the highest free-standing mountain in the world. They are now joining a team of MS Society supporters, to climb the UK’s three highest mountains, Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon, in under 24 hours over the summer solstice weekend.

Richard, who has recently moved to London to work for Barclays Investment Bank, says: “We’ve seen first-hand the effects of this horrible disease of which there’s currently no cure. It’s different for everyone but for mum it has slowly taken hold over the years. It has been so hard to watch her go from walking freely without support to using a stick; needing crutches and now being confined to a wheelchair.”

His twin brother Chris who has recently become a Magistrate adds: “Over the past decade the illness has dominated mum’s life which means she is completely dependent on the work of the MS Society and the carers who look after her full-time. We now want to reach our fundraising target as it will ensure the charity is able to continue their amazing work in the community and help them to give a life back to those who have been stripped of one by this incurable disease.”

All the money the twins raise will go to the local branch of the MS Society, the leading UK charity for people with multiple sclerosis. You can sponsor them at https://www.justgiving.com/Richardsalter3peaks

For more information go to: www.mssociety.org.uk