On Saturday 7th March, 11 year-old Caitlin Connor from Glasgow raised a staggering £1,100 for charity Urban Uprising by leading 100 routes above 6a in just over 7 hours at Glasgow Climbing Centre. Caitlin has only been climbing for 1 year and 3 months, making her feat all the more impressive.

Urban Uprising is an Edinburgh-based charity that supports and runs projects to get children from disadvantaged backgrounds climbing in the outdoors. The charity currently has projects in Glasgow and Rio de Janeiro.

To find out more, we asked Caitlin a few questions about her challenge.

Congratulations Caitlin! What made you want to do the challenge to raise money in the first place?

I knew that Urban Uprising was a new charity and as my dad had helped grow a new charity four years ago I know just how much effort is put into it and I wanted to help. I have never climbed any more than 20 routes in a day and I wanted to do something that would push my limits but also be interesting to others so I would get sponsor money.

From the idea to the challenge day was a couple of months, during this time I trained hard both at GCC and TCA, but also at home on my small board in my room. 

How did you feel during and after the challenge? Was there a point when you knew you could do it? 

On the day of the challenge I felt fit and excited. During the climb I had a lot of support from my coaches at GCC and TCA and also Chris from Stonesmith. I had friends and family visit to cheer me on and of course Stu and Sarah from Urban Uprising were also there. I was confident that I would complete the challenge and the only time I felt really under pressure was on the last climb as my dad announced it to everyone…I thought I may come off but was really glad when I topped it to an amazing cheer from everyone. I had completed 100 routes of 6a and over in 7hours 20 mins. A height of 4,438ft, that’s 4.5 times the height of the Eifel Tower. I was also named as the Youth Ambassador for Urban Uprising and I’m looking forward to working with the team in the future. Afterwards we went the café where we had a pub quiz to finish off the night.

Are you happy with the amount you raised - £1,100?!

Initially we had set a target of £150, but as the donations came in we kept making it higher. I’m so proud of getting this amount and there is still some more to come in!

What's next for you? A competition or any more challenges?

I’m competing again this Saturday at Alien Rock in Edinburgh; it’s the 3rd round of the YCS and also my birthday so I’m really looking for a good result. I should be in the Scottish Squad and over the Easter break we are going to do some outdoor climbing.

Visit Caitlin's blog here.

For more information on Urban Uprising, visit their website and read our UKC interview with its founder.