Summit of style for the Red Dress Challenge

AN exuberant Kerry woman who appeared at the summit of freezing Ben Nevis, last week, in a figure-hugging sequin dress and stilettos, plans to repeat the performance on three other mountains.

Mother-of-five Sheila Kerley, from Castleisland, has started the Red Dress Challenge in aid of the breast cancer unit at Kerry General Hospital, Tralee, and Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin, Dublin.

“This all started out of a dare in Scotland, but I’m determined to keep it going,” she said yesterday.

Sheila’s daughter, Joanna, 13, packed the red party dress for her as she was preparing to head off on the climbing expedition with 12 friends.

“I don’t know why she put the dress into my bag because there was no question of a party, or anything like that.

“But, some of the group dared me to wear the dress on the mountain. I never refused a challenge in my life and took it on,” she said.

Sheila startled other members of the group by removing her climbing apparel to reveal her sense of style in a most unlikely and chilly setting.

World champion mountain runner John Linehan, from Ballymacelligott asked her to go on the trip.

Sheila and her husband, John, a sports therapist, have been running for years and have completed a marathon together.

She now plans to climb Carrantuohill, Snowdon, in Wales, and at least one other mountain as part of the Red Dress Challenge.