MORE than £1,000 has been raised for charity following an annual climb of Ben Nevis by a group of Dudley adventurers.

Led by former Mayor of Dudley Steve Waltho MBE, the team scaled Britain's highest mountain on August 18.

It was the ninth consecutive climb of Ben Nevis in Scotland in memory of legendary Dudley peace campaigner Bert Bissell who scaled the mountain 107 times in his lifetime.

Bert, who started a young men's bible class at Vicar Street Methodist Church, Dudley, in the 1920s, was awarded the MBE and Methodist World Peace Prize for his efforts to promote world peace, plus the freemanship of Dudley and Fort William.

He died in 1998, at the age of 96, and was buried in Glen Nevis at the foot of his beloved Ben Nevis where on VJ Day in 1945 he and a group of youngsters from Dudley began construction of a large peace cain which is today recognised as the highest war memorial in Britain.

Bert was instrumental in linking Dudley with Fort William and in 2014 Steve Waltho, with former Dudley mayor Dave Tyler and Lord Ian Austin, former Dudley North MP, began discussing how to resurrect Bert’s legacy.

The idea of an annual pilgrimage to Fort William took off and to date they have managed to get 75 different individuals to the summit which this year was “very cold and wet”.

Steve said: “Many have surpassed their own individual capability expectations and all have their own stories to tell and reasons for climbing Britain’s highest peak and believe me it's a hard climb.”

He said the annual trips have “rekindled a link with Fort William that Bert forged over the years” and he added: “This year was the ninth annual climb and some 20 individuals gathered in Fort William of which 13 climbed the Ben.”

Following the successful ascent the party gathered at Bert's graveside for a minute's silence and a wreath was laid in his memory by the Bert Bissell Memorial Society of which Steve is chairperson and councillor Shaz Saleem, who also took part in the climb, is vice-chairperson.

The group of adventurers were also allowed access, thanks to church warden Mabel Wallace, to Duncansburgh Parish Church in Fort William which has windows from Dudley's Vicar Street Methodist Church installed as a lasting tribute to Bert.

In total more than £1,000 was raised for charity as the climbers took on this year’s challenge for three separate good causes.

Steve and Kingswinford north and Wall Heath councillor Shaz raised money for Papyrus, which supports youngsters contemplating suicide; Coseley East councillor Peter Drake raised money for the charity Ball's to Cancer and Belle Vale councillor Simon Phipps was raising money for the Mayor of Dudley’s chosen charities – the Black Country Toy Appeal, Tough Enough to Care and Macmillan Cancer Support.

Steve estimates that more than £20,000 has been raised for good causes over the last nine years – by those who have successfully scaled the Ben.

He said the society is now hoping to do something extra special next year for the 10th anniversary pilgrimage, and he’s inviting anyone who might wish to get involved to get in touch with him.

Anyone interested in finding out more can contact Steve Waltho by emailing him at stevewaltho@hotmail.co.uk or calling 07703 308463.