Yorkshire Three Peak challenge raises over £5,000
And so it was, after a few months training on the South Downs, six of us met up in the Yorkshire Dales, on Saturday, to face the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge – 24 miles, 3 mountains in 12 hours.
Firstly, I must thank the team: Mike Scutts, Glenn Holmes, Phil Oldham, Pete Wareing and Jonathan Bickerdike, none of whom come from the area, but were all keen to support our cause. Such amazing scenery in the Dales, some you’ll never see unless doing the walk.
This was so much tougher than we could possibly have imagined. 12 miles in and half way up the second mountain, the physical strength run out and I went into zombie mode, putting one foot in front of the other until I crossed the finish line at The Golden Lion Pub, at Horton in Ribbleside. A welcomed pint was waiting at the end, followed by one hour in the shower and bed… followed by a 3-day recovery period – never, ever again!
So many people to thank – Jonathan, for his additional contribution from the Ashtead Rotary Club; Phil, for his endless work raising funds including a donation from his company Ernst & Young; Pete for stepping in and providing paramedic support (thankfully not required) and Mike and Glenn for their contribution in raising funds and giving me the support to get through this – a brilliant team effort.
Although donations are still coming in, it appears with the offline donations we will have raised in excess of £5,000. This will fund mental health counselling for at least 11 more young people. If anyone is doing a challenge this year, please think about raising funds for the Elliott Holmes Memorial Fund. We are a 100% voluntary, not-for-profit organisation, set-up to provide fast, direct access to mental health counselling for young people aged 13-18, living in Gravesham.
To date, and with the help of the community, we have given 78 young people fast access to counselling, taking them off waiting lists and giving them the opportunity to make a significant difference to their lives.
