Five intrepid local climbers have managed to raise over £4,300 for St Ann’s Hospice by completing the daunting 3 Peaks Challenge.
This trial is not for the faint-hearted, it involves climbing the three highest mountains in England, Scotland and Wales in under 24 hours, with one gruelling climb undertaken in complete darkness.
The total distance walked is around the same length as a marathon, between 26 and 27 miles.
Under the team name Four Mancs and a Wiganer, Chris, along with friends Anthony Pennington, Daniel Preston, Matthew Pennington and Andrew Gardner, set out for the first leg of the journey on Saturday 15 August.
Arriving in Fort William in Scotland, the group tackled the 4,400ft Ben Nevis first, managing to get top to bottom in an incredible three hours 55 minutes.
After Ben Nevis came the long drive south to Scafell Pike, which the lads started in pitch black at 2am.
It all finished with a climb to the summit of Snowdon, Wales’ highest peak.
Starting in shorts and T-shirts they ended up swaddled in rain jackets as temperatures dipped below freezing.
SalfordOnline.com spoke to Chris Robinson, 33, from Swinton, who told us more about their amazing fundraising effort.
“My father Kevin passed away in St Ann’s Hospice last year at the age of 57.
“Myself and a couple of friends decided that we should take part in the 3 Peaks Challenge to raise money for the hospice.”
In total the gang completed the effort in an incredible 21 hours and 55 minutes.
And one who only signed up to be the driver joined the team after being inspired by the group’s efforts.
“All of the lads did extremely well but I must mention Matthew Pennington,” said Chris, “who was originally going to be the team driver.
“We persuaded him to join us, and he really got stuck into it, going to the gym and getting himself in good shape.
“Matt managed Ben Nevis but sadly injured both his knees on the climb and couldn’t continue. He was in excruciating pain – it was a wise decision as it can be dangerous on the hills.
Buoyed by their success, Four Mancs and a Wiganer are now looking to next year, where they hope to beat their time in this most gruelling of fundraising challenges.
If you want to continue giving, the fundraising page, online here, will be kept open until the end of August.
