Ayr man's friends join him for 'crazy' 100km kayak tribute to his dad

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A courageous group of pals are taking on a mammoth challenge today by kayaking 100 kilometres around the Isle of Arran for Dementia UK.

Max Pickles, 32, from Ayr, has called upon his mates to help him raise £5,000 for the charity in honour of dad Andrew, 73, who was diagnosed with dementia last year.

The challenge will see dad-of-one Max kayak 100 km around Arran in unforgiving maritime conditions alongside pals Matthew Kinloch, Archie Crawford, Chris Thomson, Aaron Newcombe and Chris Sleigh.Max, a self-employed property manager, said: “I’m not particularly confident in water at the best of times so that’s another reason why it’s going to be quite a challenge.“The fact that I’ve got five other guys who are all quite keen on their outdoor pursuits gives you a bit of solace, but it’s still quite nerve-wracking.“We are all fairly close — although I’m not sure how close we’ll be after five days in such close quarters when we have to put up with each other!"The Ayrshire Live app is available to download now.Get all the local news in your area – plus features, football news and the latest on the coronavirus crisis – at your fingertips 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories while you can customise your page with the sections that matter to you.The Ayrshire Live app is available to download now on iOS and Android.The team, who have so far raised a whopping £3,822 of their target, will spend their first night in a bunk house near Brodick Castle before wild camping the remainder of the journey.Granddad-of-one Andrew, a retired accountant at William Duncan + Co in Ayr, former Ayr Rugby Club star and keen fundraiser himself, was diagnosed with mixed dementia last year.Max said: “At the moment