A MOTHER and son from Pwllheli have taken part in a climbing challenge with a difference.

Llio Rogers and her nine-year-old son, Noah, wore blindfolds as they repeatedly scaled a 35ft wall at the Beacon Centre in Caernarfon on Saturday.

The event, in aid of Guide Dogs Cymru, featured 15 people, many of them registered blind. Guided solely by vocal commands, the team scaled a total of 3,560ft – the height of Snowdon.

Llio, who works for opticians Alton Murphy, said: “My son goes to the Beacon each week and I climb with another mother while he’s there, so this was good practice and training for us.

“Noah went up more than 20 times and I did about 18. It’s quite a noisy place and, because we couldn’t see, it was more about feeling than choosing where to put your hands and feet.

“It was really interesting to meet people with sight restrictions, and my two daughters were delighted to meet some guide dogs and their owners.”

Colleagues from Alton Murphy also took part in the blind climb event. Diane Gillard, who works at the Beaumaris branch, said: “Some people there had no sight at all, yet they had no fear. I went up about five times and you needed strength to hold on because you couldn’t see to move quickly.”

Alton Murphy has now passed its fund-raising target of £5,000 for Guide Dogs Cymru and is in the process of choosing a name for a guide dog puppy.