Prince Charles writes to 90-year-old raising £390k for Covid by climbing staircase at home

The Prince of Wales has written a letter of appreciation to a 90-year-old woman who has been raising money to help in fighting coronavirus by climbing the height of a highland mountain on her staircase.

Margaret Payne has raised over £390,000 for the NHS, Highlands Hospice, and RNLI charities in the last two months. She is reaching the peak of Suilven at home by climbing her stairs 282 times. With just 30 flights to go before she completes her goal, Prince Charles has sent a letter to congratulate Mrs Payne.

In the letter, Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla expressed their support to Payne by saying that it was inspiring to witness such a huge success of her fundraising efforts. The Prince acknowledged that the past few months have been immensely difficult for the country as many grieve the tragic loss of their loved ones due to Coronavirus.

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He praised the ‘marvellous’ community spirit of Scotland, as people across the society went the extra mile, put others first, and sacrificed their own comfort for the common good. Prince Charles called Margaret Payne a ‘hero’ for her ‘magnificent efforts and indomitable spirit’ and the Royal couple sent her warm congratulations on her splendid achievement.

Suilven mountain, located in the west of Sutherland in the Highlands, has an elevation of 731 metres.

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Payne 'delighted' to receive the letter

Margaret Payne was absolutely delighted to receive Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall’s handwritten letter on Saturday. Payne said she was surprised and humbled by their kind words, and everyone’s generosity and constant support throughout her marathon challenge. The constant support has given her enthusiasm to keep going over the past 10 weeks, and will spur her on to reach the milestone, Payne said humbly.

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Mrs Payne started the challenge on Easter Sunday and expected to complete it within two months. She initially set a target of raising £10,000 but had already passed £125,000 in less than a week. She had taken up the challenge to thank NHS and hospice staff who took care of her late husband Jim.

After reaching her target, Margaret Payne said she was expecting nothing like 10,000 thankyous. Dedicating her achievement to the charity, she said the NHS really deserved it. They have been amazing, each day they are risking their lives, she added.

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