Kent Fire and Rescue take on the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge

On 19th June 2025 a team from Kent Fire and Rescue completed the famous Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge – 24 miles, three mountains in 12 hours, raising money to help change a young person’s life in Gravesham, supporting the Elliott Holmes Memorial Fund CIC.

The first group of four completed the challenge in 8:58hrs – a remarkable time. The team raised £3,725 which will fund 10 young people in Gravesham through counselling and potentially improve their quality of life. Our young people today are facing a mental health crisis of unprecedented proportions.

In Gravesham alone, the number of young people admitted to A&E at Darent Valley Hospital for deliberate self-harm, mental illness, or overdosing has surged from 73 in 2017 to 165 in 2024—a staggering 126% increase. We are truly in the midst of a mental health emergency. Since April 2022, the Elliott Holmes Memorial Fund has been a lifeline for over 400 young people seeking support. There is no comparable service in the UK. With the NHS overwhelmed, the likelihood of a young person accessing free counselling in Gravesham is virtually zero. A heart breaking 83% of the young people who self-refer to us have been unable to access the support they need elsewhere, with some facing waiting lists of three years.

The Elliott Holmes Memorial Fund offer a no-barriers approach, allowing young people to self-refer through our website and receive timely, effective support. But we can’t do it alone.