National 3 Peaks adventurers raise £18k

They came, they climbed, they conquered - a team of fundraisers took on the National 3 Peaks Challenge last weekend, battling adverse weather conditions as they climbed over 3000m.

A team of 12 recently returned from their National 3 Peaks Challenge, which saw them climb the three highest peaks in the UK: Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike, and Snowdon over the course of the weekend. The group, which included two members of the Hospice's Fundraising team, has collectively raised almost £18,000 to date.

Adam Brockett, Product and Event Lead, and Erman Housein, Head of Business Development, said:

"We had the absolute privilege of taking part in this event with ten other amazing people, and with incredible support from the Challenge Central team throughout. It was a great team that pulled together in the most testing of conditions. Not only was there a huge feeling of camaraderie, but the team have also raised an incredible amount - with many comfortably surpassing their target. To date we have raised nearly £18k, and this figure is still going up!

"This challenge is certainly not for the faint-hearted, but equally the feeling we both have (and we know the rest of team share) is one of utter elation that we have achieved it. We thank all of you for your kind words throughout the challenge - it really did help us to carry on! We'd also like to thank those of you that have kindly sponsored us."

Erman and Adam celebrate their achievement with cake on their return to work

Adam's account of each peak

Chapter 1: Ben Nevis

We started in Scotland, taking on Ben Nevis (the highest peak) in hot and humid conditions, which later turned to rain and thundery showers. This made the first climb much tougher, but we reached the peak after around three and a half hours. After a slow trudge down, walking through some low-level cloud cover, we eventually reached the end and were back at the visitors centre - tired but elated that the first peak was done!

Chapter 2: Scafell Pike

The six hour minibus ride into the night seemed to go on forever - but we finally arrived at the foot of Scafell Pike at around 2am. The rain was biblical! Every part of our being said "stay in the van and get some sleep", but a challenge is a challenge, so we all filed out into the car park and into the darkness - the wind and rain pulling on our waterproofs.

With head torches on, we set off into the darkness with only the footsteps in front of us to follow. As we marched on - the sound of the river running down the mountain was all we had to break up the howling wind and driving rain. Nothing to look at and no words said! About half an hour in we crossed what would have been a stream in normal conditions, but was now a raging torrent.

With our feet now soaked, and with another four hours of walking still to go, it was far from ideal - but by now we were so wet it really didn’t matter. We reached the summit of Scafell Pike around two hours later - with the rain still hammering down and the wind still howling. At this point all we could see was a pile of rocks that indicated the summit. It was about the most uninviting place you could imagine, but to reach it was a huge relief!

The journey down was even harder as the conditions were wet and slippery - and although the sun should have now risen, the pea souper of a day meant there was just a murky mass of cloud all around. Then we went back across the river, which was now knee deep but thankfully visible! Four hours or so later from starting we finally reached the finish, where hot drinks and a place to dry off awaited.

Chapter 3: Snowdon

It was back into the minibus for our last transfer to Wales - with the final peak, Snowdon, around 5 hours away. We arrived in sunny and warm conditions, which was a relief because every piece of our kit was soaked through. Many chose to set off for the final peak in shorts and t-shirts, with what little extra layers they had dry in their bags.

Half way up Snowdon the heavens opened, and what had been steps going up became another fast flowing cascade of water and silt to deal with. About 2 and half hours later we summited in dry but extremely windy conditions. Everyone made it, and amongst the howling wind you could just make out screams of delight from the team. A slow and once again wet descent to the bottom seemed to take forever, but the feeling of joy when we reached the bottom made it all worthwhile - with a nice cold beer in the car park to celebrate!

2024 dates to take on the National 3 Peaks Challenge in aid of Garden House Hospice Care are now available! Visit www.ghhospicecare.org.uk/event/n3ps to register your place for just £99.