HEROIC hikers have raised £2,000 in memory of two young Inverclyde men by taking on a gruelling charity challenge.

A group of 12 members of staff from the James Watt pub in Greenock climbed Ben A'an in the Trossachs in honour of local men Ryan Taggart and Danny Cassidy who tragically lost their lives.

Organiser Rebecca Kemp said £100 of the money raised will go to J D Wetherspoon national charity of choice Young Lives vs Cancer (formerly CLIC Sargent), and the remainder will be donated to Man On Inverclyde.

Rebecca, Ryan's sister, was among the determined dozen who took on the challenge.

She said climbing the west coast peak was a fantastic experience.

Rebecca said: "It was an amazing day but was a lot more difficult than I thought it would be.

"There were steps pretty much the whole way up.

"We all had a real sense of accomplishment at the end of the challenge."

The James Watt team hoped to raise between £500 and £1,000 so were delighted when they smashed their total.

Their steely determination also helped them complete the 461m peak in three hours all in.

Rebecca said the walkers were overwhelmed by the support they received from the Inverclyde community.

She added: "We want to say a huge thank-you to everyone who supported us and helped us raise this fantastic amount in memory of Ryan and Danny."