AN ANNUAL fundraiser could be held in memory of a North Berwick grandfather who bravely fought cancer for 30 years.

Fifteen of Dennis Baron’s closest friends and family abseiled down Barns Ness Lighthouse for charity.

Now they could do something each year to raise further funds for a good cause.

Among those making their way down one of East Lothian’s tallest buildings was his daughter, Kirsty.

She said: “It went absolutely phenomenally.

“We raised over £6,500, which is just beyond our wildest dreams.

“We thought half of that, at a push, but £6,500 is amazing, absolutely amazing.

“I was terrified for three days beforehand – I was living on adrenaline.”

Dennis had lived in North Berwick for more than 45 years and previously worked at the Ben Sayers Factory and the town’s Co-op store.

Thirty years ago, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma before being diagnosed a second time just two years later.

Kirsty said: “On his 50th birthday he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma again and went through gruelling treatment – radiotherapy and chemotherapy. 

“Then, five years ago, on his 60th birthday, he was diagnosed with bowel cancer and had a serious operation when he lost an amount of his bowel.”

Dennis, who passed away on Easter Sunday, later signed a consent form for Professor Malcolm Dunlop, professor of coloproctology and consultant colorectal surgeon at Edinburgh’s Western General Hospital, to do research.

Kirsty, along with her brother Steven and sister-in-law Lorna Baron, son Kieran and daughter Gemma, were among those heading to the lighthouse, near Dunbar.

She said: “The adrenaline was pumping and me and my son went up first.

“There are 85 steps and I ploughed up there – I have never taken steps so quickly.

“I had a bit of a wait at the top and then trying to get my balance.”

However, the 41-year-old would soon be back on solid ground and with a renewed enthusiasm to do another fundraiser next September.

Kirsty, of Gilbert Avenue, said: “My mum said to me ‘your dad would be super proud but would never tell you that!’

“He did not want a fuss.

“We have got to try to get a cure for this awful disease and try to help somebody else so they do not go through what we have been through.

“I keep going back and looking at the video of the abseil on my phone and I feel sick!

“We have discussed doing something else and we will be back next year in September.

“I have suggested a tandem skydive but the response was just grunts.

“Maybe we will do a big charity cycle, from Inverness to Fort William, something to raise awareness of cancer.”

To make a donation, go to justgiving.com/fundraising/dennisbaron or text DWBA65 to 70070.