LITTLE Ruaridh Henderson made light of a tall order - and climbed to the top of Britain’s highest mountain.

The eight-year-old from Innerleithen shrugged off the daunting challenge to reach the summit of 1,344-metre high Ben Nevis in four hours and 20 minutes.

Ruaridh undertook the gruelling hike to raise money for children in Africa - and in just one week his efforts had netted more than £750.

The pupil at St Ronan’s Primary School said: “It was quite rocky in parts and there was a bit of hard snow but it wasn’t too bad. It felt great when we got to the top.” Ruaridh was joined in the climb by his mum Becky, dad Mark, grandfather Derek Henderson, uncle and aunt, Michael and Rowan Acey, and the family’s boxer Fingal.

“Ruaridh took part in a charity event when he was just three and when we watched Red Nose Day earlier this year we said we should try something again,” said Becky, a 32-year-old photographer.

“We just thought having a go at Ben Nevis would be a good idea - because it’s big and a massive challenge!

“Ruaridh has been pretty relaxed about it all along. He did get a little nervous near the time but in the end he took it all in his stride.” The family travelled to Fort William - the nearest town to Ben Nevis - and only Ruaridh’s six-year-old sister Ena and grandmother Margaret stayed at base.

“We didn’t think we were going to make it because of all the snow at the top but we decided it would be all right," said Becky.

“It’s about 10 miles from the bottom to the top and back again - and it was about an hour faster on the way back.” Ruaridh was preparing a powerpoint of his trip to show to his school pals.

Anyone who wishes to contribute can do through Ruaridh’s just giving page. The link is: http://my.rednoseday.com/sponsor/bennevis2015