Brother of Calton river victim climbing Ben Lomond after spate of water tragedies
Last updated 14th Oct 2021
The brother of a 12-year-old boy who lost his life in the River Tay is taking on a gruelling challenge for charity, after a spate of tragedies in Scotland's waters over the summer.
Kayden Walker died in 2019, after getting into trouble while boogieboarding.
Kai Thomson, who's 22, is now going to climb Ben Lomond, to raise money for Glasgow Children's Hospital.
'Horrendous'
Kai says hearing about similar incidents this year brought back terrible memories of losing Kayden.
Speaking to Clyde 1, he said: "I had my mum constantly on the phone, saying 'that's another one, and another one', and you're trying to do something to stop those names just becoming a number.
"The amount of deaths and accidents you were hearing about was just disgusting.
"I was working up at Loch Lomond, and I was driving past the water and imagining that happening. I was relating to the families, it was horrendous.
'Would have done anything for his friends'
Describing Kayden as "a cheeky, chirpy, average 12-year-old boy", Kai says he wants to do things his brother didn't get the opportunity to.
He said: "As a big brother, he was an absolute pain, but a pain in the best way possible.
"But from his friends, I was told stories about his generosity, and his loyalty.
"As weird as it sounds, loyalty from a 12-year-old, he would have done anything for his friends."
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Kai says after speaking to his family about what they could do to prevent more tragedies, he decided to raise money for charities that had helped them through their darkest moments.
"I made a promise to myself that every year I would do at least one thing to help those charities.
"It's a bit of a coping mechanism in a way. Instead of locking myself in the house and grieving that way, I'd rather get out there and do stuff he couldn't.
"He was just getting to that part of his life when he wanted to go out with his friends and have an adventure."