Mendham’s Frankie hits the heights for Big C charity

A teenager who scaled a mountain to raise money for charity after her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time has collected more than £2,000 for the cause.

Fifteen-year-old Frankie South climbed Ben Nevis with her father, Matthew, at the end of July and, with the total just in, the Bungay High pupil has raised £2002.16 for cancer charity the Big C.

Her mother, Dawn, was first diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago and in January had thought she would be going for one of her final hospital check-ups.

The family, from Mendham, near Harleston, which also includes 18-year-old Rachel, had made plans to holiday in Scotland to climb the country's highest peak, but the 48-year-old was instead told the cancer had returned.

She has since had a mastectomy and has finished chemotherapy treatment for the second time.

'I'm very proud of them both,' Mrs South said. 'She only decided to do it at the last minute and I kept saying that she'd left it too late but actually it didn't matter a bit. The high school were also excellent and they raised £500 of it so she had lots of support.'

Frankie, who said the climb took four hours to go up and three hours to come down, said she never expected to raise so much money.

'I was so proud of it– I didn't even think I'd get £1,000,' she said. 'I was expecting the worst really so the climb was good and I knew I was doing it for the Big C which was motivating.'

Her father, Matthew, 50, said that he was also proud of his daughter, and added: 'We did Snowdon and Scafell Pike within the last couple of years and they were harder than I thought so I was building myself up thinking it was going to be difficult but it went really well.'