Friends, family and colleagues scale Tinto in Douglas Graham's memory

However, they were also delighted and relieved when the 43-year-old was informed that he was to receive a heart transplant during the pandemic in 2021.

Unfortunately, the happy ending everyone had hoped for was not to be. Sadly, Douglas died from post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) on Boxing Day last year.

It was a huge shock for everyone who knew Douglas, who for more than 20 years was a well-kent and liked staff member in the town’s Tesco store.

As they started to come to terms with the loss, they decided they wanted to do something to thank staff at the Golden Jubilee for the outstanding care he received in the Scottish National Advanced Heart Failure Service (SNAHFS).

A keen outdoors man, Douglas had hoped to climb Tinto by way of thanks himself. Instead, his cousin Kirsty Hilston organised the walk up Clydesdale’s highest peak, 707-metre Tinto Hill.

A total of 46 people did the Tinto walk in memory of Douglas; his Tesco colleagues also held a series of fundraising activities including a bake sale, tombola and raffle prizes over a three-day period.

Kirsty said: “We would like to thank all of the team – there are simply no words to express our thanks to them all. We’d also like to thank everyone who supported the walk and gave their time, money and gifts so generously.”

Douglas’s mum Jess added: “After his transplant Douglas wanted to climb Tinto to raise money for the service and staff to thank them for everything they did.

“Sadly, he passed away before he could do it so we decided to carry on in tribute to him and were overwhelmed by the support we got from his friends and colleagues.

“The dedicated care he got on the ward was unbelievable and everyone there became part of his family. He loved them all dearly.”

In addition to their own fundraising, colleagues from the Tesco Lanark store where Douglas worked for over 20 years also wanted to be part of the memorial walk and helped raise a massive total of £5320.

Lynn Wilson, Tesco Lanark Dotcom manager, said: “I knew Douglas from the first day I started in Tesco over 20 years ago and we’d been friends ever since.

“He was an integral part of our team and was very popular with staff and our customers; we all miss him terribly.”

Last year, a record number of 40 heart transplants in a single year were carried out at Scotland’s only heart transplant at the Golden Jubilee University National Hospital in Clydebank.

The service is responsible for providing advanced heart failure therapies to patients throughout Scotland.

The money raised will go towards purchases that will help make other patients’ stays more comfortable.

Mark Dyer, acting ward manager, said: “Douglas was a real character with a brilliant sense of humour who kept us all going during his stay; he was a big part of our family.

“We were devastated to hear of his death. He had a tough time after his transplant but he just faced it all with humour, dignity and resilience. It was an honour to care for him.

“The team would like to thank his family and friends for this most generous donation, which will help us continue to make a real difference to the lives of other patients and families.”​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​