TEN national summits for TEN-year-old fundraiser Frankie – raising £50k for Cardiac Risk in the Young

Mountain wonderkid Frankie McMillan is back for his biggest fundraiser challenge yet – and this time it’s really personal!

Already an international record-breaker for his mountain feats at such a young age, Frankie is going to climb the highest summit in each of TEN different countries next year, when he is still just TEN years old.

And he’s on a mission to raise a whopping £50,000 for CRY – Cardiac Risk in the Young – to show his love and support for his school-friend Xander, who suffers a critical heart condition at such a tender age.

Despite being still only nine years old, Frankie is well known for raising thousands of pounds for charities through his amazing mountain adventures. He was the youngest Brit to summit Mount Olympus, the ‘Mountain of the Gods’, aged seven. At the age of eight, he trekked to Everest Base Camp entirely under his own steam, AND became the youngest-known climber of the Toubkal ridge, the highest peaks in North Africa. He has completed the Wainwright 214-summits challenge twice, and has already notched up ten national peaks in his ongoing campaign to summit the highest points in the Crown of Europe.

Sticking with the number TEN is his next big fundraiser! In just five short weeks next summer (in his school holiday), he will climb the highest mountains in the Balkans: Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, Romania and Kosovo.  

The summits range in height from 1,831m (6,007 ft) to 2,925m (9,596 ft). For context, England’s highest mountain is 978m (3,209 ft), meaning the smallest summit in this challenge is still twice the height of England’s highest!

With ‘safety first’ always in mind, Frankie will climb with his mum Basia, a fully qualified mountain leader and mountain rescue volunteer in the UK, accompanied by specialist local guides.

But we know that, for all his enthusiasm and experience, a climb on this scale will be a real test of strength and determination for him, and quite unlike the amazing things he has achieved before!  

Weeks away from home, family and friends; travelling from country to country over long distances; new accommodation and surroundings pretty much every day. Weeks of physical and mental challenge – tough for anyone, let alone a ten-year-old child.

But if you have heard about Frankie, you know that he never gives up! And keeping his motivation high will be his thoughts of Xander and the reason Frankie wants to use his huge adventure to raise funds for CRY.

You see, Frankie always chooses his charities carefully by following his heart and this time is no different.

Last year Frankie was moved up a year at school – but this meant learning with a different year group and it was quite tough on him friendship-wise, as he didn’t know the older students that well. However, one boy in particular looked out for Frankie, and forged a firm friendship with him – Xander.  

Frankie later found out that Xander has a critical heart condition… and this is where the fundraising idea was born. He was really touched by his new friend’s situation, and so he dedicated his next challenge to Xander and other children like him – fundraising for CRY.

Xander, along with his brother and dad, has a critical heart condition called Long QT syndrome type 2 (LQT2). It's a life-threatening disorder that can lead to sudden cardiac death due to life-threatening arrhythmias.

Every week in the UK at least 12 apparently fit and healthy young people die of undiagnosed cardiac conditions.

With your donation, CRY can reduce the frequency of young sudden cardiac death (YSCD) by working with cardiologists and family doctors to establish good practice and appropriate screening facilities to promote and protect the cardiac health of our young people.

We hope you will help Frankie to help this amazing charity. By supporting Frankie’s fundraiser for CRY you will help save young lives from these potentially fatal cardiac conditions.

If you can help us support this amazing cause, both Frankie and Xander would so appreciate you. Even the smallest donation will make a difference. Every penny will count towards saving lives.

If you want to know a bit more about Frankie and keep an eye on his journey, why not visit and follow his Facebook page ‘Frankie Moves The Mountains’, Instagram: @frankie_moves_the_mountains or just search ‘Frankie McMillan mountains’ for plenty of stories in the newspapers and on television all around the world! You can also contact The Athlete Media Group or GiveStar for more information regarding Frankie and his challenge.

Mountains of thanks and love from Frankie xx

*Donations will be going straight towards Frankie McMillan Fund within CRY to sponsor free heart screenings for the young.