After a few months of preparation, psyching themselves up and rising thousands of pounds along the way, 11 amazing supporters with their bags packed excitedly and apprehensively piled into mini buses kindly donated by David Spears Commercial Vehicles and and were driven to Snowdon by the Hospice van crew and one of our volunteers.
Whilst many of us were sleeping on Saturday 11th June, this awesome group of people started their iconic Welsh Three Peaks Challenge with the added pressure of leaving Tredegar at midnight and being up since Friday morning – they would journey through the night and embark on their first climb to the summit of Wales’s highest mountain at 5am.
Unphased by the typical British weather being wet, and very windy and no view at the top as a reward, they soldiered on fueled by bananas, Haribos, apples, Haribos, grapes, Haribos, chocolate bars, bottles of water and a few more Haribos thrown in for good measure.
With Snowdon ticked off, it was back in the mini buses and short trip down to Cadair Idris – labelled as the ‘tricky’ one due to the narrow ridge edge – but our group were feeling tang-tastic, largely thanks to the Haribos but also in awe of their Walk leaders, Rob and Luc who did a great job in not only guiding them up the 3 peaks and back safely, but for also sharing their own experiences and vast knowledge of the area, making the challenge even more insightful and memorable.
As the friendships strengthened and people felt more comfortable to snore away for their road trip all the way back down south for their last peak, Pen-y-Fan, they were welcomed by the sun and stunning views of the Brecon Beacons and surrounding areas.
Some family members, friends and Hospice staff eagerly waited their return and gave a well-deserved round of applause and cheer as they took their final steps over the stream and through the gate and yep to more Haribos and chocolate wafers.
Amanda, the Hospice Events Fundraising Manager said,
“It was amazing to see them complete their challenge. The excitement from the night before was accompanied by their sheer joy of finishing, the experience, friendships and memories made along the way, a truly inspirational group of supporters who we are most proud of an grateful to. It was great to see the photos as the challenge progressed and check in after each summit. They have raised an incredible £4,585 so far, so a massive well done and thank you.”
Already there are talks of what next….. we’re exploring the National Three Peaks, but we may need a bigger bottle of beer at the end of that one to help celebrate.
Thank you to our Hospice van driving crew, Adrian, Trevor and Dale, David Spears Commercial Vehicles, Fresh n Fruity, Rob and Luc from Parc Bryn Bach for supporting our Hospice Welsh Three Peaks Challenge, to those who sponsored with their most generous funds and special thanks to Stacey, David, Kirsty, Anthony, Mark, Damon, Samantha, Sally, Dafydd, Cari and Jackie – our walking heroes.
