Carla Lockhart said:

“This fundraising effort was truly amazing, with a relatively small, dedicated group of friends taking on the might of Mount Kilimanjaro in support of four remarkable charities - The Cancer Unit in the Royal Victoria Hospital, Angel Wishes, Cancer Fund For Children and B Positive.

To raise £280,000 exceeded all expectations, but is testament to the heart and soul poured into this effort by the group, and the generosity of the local community who dug deep in support of the guys undertaking this challenge.

Of course the inspiration behind this effort was little Adam Watson, who holds such a special place in all our hearts having fought such a brave fight against cancer. Adam inspired the B-Positive campaign, and continues to motivate people to support the fight against cancer. It is fantastic that B-Positive will benefit from this charity challenge.

My thanks go to all the team involved in making the Kilimanjaro challenge a reality. I know Stuart Magill was a proud man to stand at Stormont with the team who achieved this feat.

I want to also thank my colleague Diane Dodds MLA for hosting the reception. It was a fitting way to recognise this outstanding achievement.”