They were the lads who played golf together, took the mickey out of each other, and let Martin Brown — the sensible one — sort out the trips. In July, thirteen of them will pull on matching shirts bearing his silhouette and walk up Scotland's highest mountain in his memory.

Martin, from Duntocher, was just 36 when he died of brain cancer in February 2024, only months after marrying his wife Julie. In his final weeks, he was cared for at St Margaret's Hospice in Clydebank — and now his friends are determined to give something back to the place that gave them precious extra time with him.

'The pure nice guy in the group'

Joey Muir, one of the climbers, describes Martin — 'Broonie' to his pals — as "the dad of the group."

"He was just the nicest guy you could ever meet in your life," Joey told the Clydebank Post. "He got on with everybody. Never a bad word to say about anybody. He was known for being the pure nice guy in the group."

"Martin would organise all the trips, would do all the admin, he was basically the sensible one of the group."

That sense of someone who looked out for everyone else is, his friends say, what makes the climb feel right. Martin took care of them. Now they're taking care of the hospice that took care of him.

A near-10-mile trek — and not a Munro veteran among them

The group will tackle the full day hike up and down Ben Nevis, a near-10-mile round trip on rough mountain ground. By Joey's own admission, they are not exactly seasoned hill walkers.

"It's completely out of my comfort zone, to be honest," he said. "I think one or two of the group have done a couple of Munros, but we've not got any experience. I just kind of wanted to do something different."

"When we get to the top of the mountain it might be an emotional moment."

Thousands already raised — and they're not stopping

Since Martin's death, his wife Julie, his brother Craig and the wider circle of friends have already raised thousands for St Margaret's Hospice through charity golf days. The Ben Nevis climb is the next chapter.

A GoFundMe target of £2,000 has been set for the climb, and supporters have already pushed the total past £1,400.

Joey is unstinting about the hospice itself.

"The place is unbelievable, it's actually hard to put into words," he said. "I can't imagine going into your work every day and having to deal with people at end-of-life care. The way they go about their business, how professional they were, how caring they were, and how compassionate they were. Honestly, I can't even put that into words."

How to support the climb

Readers who would like to back the team can find their fundraiser on GoFundMe by searching for the Clydebank golf pals' Ben Nevis climb in memory of Martin Brown. Every pound goes to St Margaret's Hospice in Clydebank.

Broonie, you suspect, would have organised it better. But thirteen of his pals are giving it their best shot.