THE charity set up in memory of York schoolboy Oscar Hughes has now raised around a quarter of a million pounds, following an attempted climb of Mount Snowdon by 100 children.

The youngsters and their families were turned back by rangers during Saturday’s climb because of appalling weather, with70 mph winds and driving rain, said charity spokeswoman Sharon Reid.

“People were literally getting swept off their feet by the winds,” she said.

However, the walkers had the benefit of advice from Chief Scout and adventurer Bear Grylls, who spoke to Oscar’s brother Seb live on BBC Radio 2 on Saturday morning’s Dermot O’Leary Show just before the start of the climb.

Bear gave Seb tips on how to survive walking in such bad weather and also invited him and the other 99 climbers down to London to take part in a survival race for free in September, in which runners go through a variety of challenging obstacles.

Sharon said that thankfully, everyone made it up and down Snowdon safely. “We had a brilliant company supporting us, Raw Adventures, who made sure everyone was properly looked after.”

As The Press reported on Saturday, the climb was just the latest fundraising venture of OSCAR’s (Ongoing Support, Care And Research into Paediatric Brain Tumour Charity), which was set up to fight childhood brain tumours after nine-year-old Dunnington schoolboy Oscar died in 2014 from such an illness.

The walk involved youngsters aged between five and 18 and their families, most of them from the York area, but the charity’s patron, Sky News presenter Sarah Hewson, and her young son Jack, also took part.

Sharon said the climb had raised £16,000 so far, on top of about £235,000 already raised for the cause. “We should hit the quarter million mark with offline donations too,” she said. “It’s been so successful we plan to do it again next year.”

Some people donated money after hearing Seb’s interview on the radio. One donor said: “Heard you on Radio 2 this morning. Hope your day has gone well. Very inspiring and courageous.”

Another said: “Good Luck today Seb! Just heard your story on Radio 2. You are a brave young man.

“Your brother would be very proud of you. All the best.”

The charity has already given out grants to help fund international research into childhood brain tumours, including £125,000 towards a project by Professor Louis Chesler at the world-renowned Institute of Cancer Research in London.

Oscar’s mother Marie has spoken previously of the importance of making it fun for kids to raise funds, and told of her pride that everyone had again shown their support for the charity by taking part in the climb.