THE parents of a teenager who is fighting bone cancer are to abseil down Yorkhill hospital.

Despite their fear of heights, Chris and Karen Craig, from Lenzie, are taking part in the challenge for their son Matthew, who was treated at the Teenage Cancer Trust's Yorkhill unit.

The abseil from the brick wall near the entrance to Yorkhill is being organised by the charity to mark the end of an era. The ward will move to the new Southern General Hospital campus in the summer.

The unit will form part of the brand new children's hospital, which will replace the 100-year-old Yorkhill building.

The couple are urging others to take up the charity challenge - and abseil from the 50metre high building on Sunday, March 29.

Their son Matthew was diagnosed with bone cancer on Christmas Eve, 2013. After undergoing major operations, he is responding well to treatment, building up his strength and learning to walk again.

The family has already raised nearly £25,000 for the Teenage Cancer Trust to help other young people with their cancer fight.

Mr Craig, 44, a business development executive, and his wife are to face their phobia of heights head on.

They believe it will be a small challenge compared to what their son must go through every day.

Matthew, who has a 21-year-old brother called Scott, said: "I am really surprised that mum and dad have both agreed to do this.

"Neither of them have done anything like this before and both of them aren't great with heights.

"It just shows how much it means to them when they are going to try and overcome their fears."

Mrs Craig, 45, added: "The Teenage Cancer Trust unit was a God send, helping to make things more bearable under such difficult circumstances.

"Having benefitted from the use of the facilities, we want to do what we can to ensure that other families continue to benefit from the support of Teenage Cancer Trust."

The trust is the only UK charity dedicated to to improving the quality of life and chances of survival for the seven young people aged between 13 and 24 diagnosed with cancer every day.

The charity fund and build specialist units in NHS hospitals and provide dedicated staff.

Vanessa Todd, Regional Fundraiser for West of Scotland at the trust said: "We want to celebrate the work of our unit at Yorkhill before it closes and we're encouraging the local community to get involved.

"We still have spaces left for the abseil which will raise money for the trust.

"We rely on donations to fund our vital work and therefore the generosity from the community including the Craig's really does make a substantial difference."

To register for a space on the Yorkhill Abseil Challenge visit www.teenagecancertrust.org and search for Yorkhill abseil.

To sponsor the Craig family in their abseil challenge log onto www.justgiving.com/Team-Champ-2015/

The fundraising team are also looking for a group of cheerleaders to help out the abseilers on the day. Email vanessa.todd@teenagecancertrust.org for more information.