21 June 2017
A massive thank and congratulations to Douglas Gilgallon for climbing Ben Nevis, the highest mountain peak in the UK, in support of MAP. The response and recognition from thousands of people across the world has been truly inspiring.
"I was educated as to the plight of the Palestinian people by the man pictured to the left of me in this pic Mr Andy Murray. We are both member of the political party the SNP (Scottish National Party) in Scotland. Andy formed a group called the SNP Friends of Palestine. One of our MP's Dr Philippa Whitford (who is a world-renowned breast cancer surgeon) is involved with MAP too. 
"It was Andy who suggested to me that I contact MAP when I decided to raise some funds and support the people of Palestine. Andy also invited me to a lecture in 2015 conducted by Dr Mads Gilbert, (the Norwegian Dr who works out of Shifa Hospital in Gaza). Both these men have awoken me to the conscious cruelty imposed on the Palestinians and I felt I wanted to do something symbolic to raise both money and awareness.
"I love mountain climbing and other outdoor pursuits, so it seemed like a natural choice to combine the two. I had no idea though, just how many people from around the world would reach out to contact me and express their gratitude for raising the Palestinian flag on the highest peak in the UK. Many said that the symbolism of their flag flying the highest above all others showed them that they were important and they were not forgotten by people in Scotland specifically
"I'm overjoyed to say that I have gone past the initial £500 mark I set myself. I'm currently at £810 and hoping to reach £1000 by the 30th June."
The social media response has been overwhelming, with the Facebook post being shared 1,999 times and the video of Douglas standing at the summit with the Palestinian flag viewed 102,658 times!
If you would like to support Douglas, please click here.