A geography teacher has climbed 50,000 metres to raise money for the Isle of Man Search and Rescue Dog Association (SARDA).

Jim MacGregor has so far raised more than £2,000 for the charity by climbing places including the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, the Yorkshire Dales and North Barrule.

The fundraising efforts have also seen Jim plough through snow on Snaefell, complete the Manx mountain marathon, rock climb at Snowdonia and complete the Manx fell running league.

Jim, who lives in Laxey, is chairman of SARDA and is doing this as a celebration of his 50th birthday this November.

The St Ninian’s High School teacher said: ‘I have been involved with SARDA since it was created in 2004.

‘As a small charity who have recently been expanding with new dogs coming through, there is a constant need to provide funds to support insurance, vet bills, travel and off-island assessments.

‘SARDA provides the island with free around-the-clock coverage to provide search dogs to look for lost and missing persons.

‘These can range from missing children, dementia, traffic collisions, mental health and lost persons.’

This isn’t the first time that Jim has raised money for SARDA.

In June 2021, he completed the Parish Walk in 21 hours and 30 minutes while dressed as ‘Manxie the dog’, raising £2,020 from a £1,000 target.

Talking about this year’s fundraising challenge, Jim said: ‘The aim was to get various people involved, such as family members, Civil Defence, members of SARDA, friends, my running buddy Svet and the Manx fell runners.

‘I have completed this challenge by running, walking, rock climbing, scrambling, racing and even crawling up steep sections at times.

‘I had a knee operation last year so I did get twinges of pain in my knee from time to time, but it has been more of a mental challenge.

‘When it’s raining or the weather is bad, it’s very hard to find the motivation.’

If you wish to donate to Jim’s fundraising effort, you can find his justgiving page at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jim-macgregor.