After a few months of preparation, psyching themselves up and raising a tremendous £23,449 along the way, 31 amazing supporters with their bags packed excitedly and apprehensively piled into the Parc Bryn Bach mini bus and van kindly donated by David Spears Commercial Vehicles and were driven to Snowdon by our wonderful drivers first group on Saturday 8^th and second group Saturday 15^th July 2023.

Whilst many of us were sleeping Friday night/Saturday morning, 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 4am.

Our group completing the challenge on 8^th July were lucky to have the better of the weather over both weekends its fair to say and were rewarded with stunning views, scenery and a very inquisitive sheep.

Those who took part on 15^th July were unphased by the typical British weather; torrential rain and high winds but that added to their determination to succeed or maybe it was the desire to get to the bus to dry out and change into another set of clothes.

With Snowdon ticked off, it was back in the buses and short trip down to Cadair Idris – labelled as the ‘tricky’ one due to the challenging ascent at the start – but our groups were motivated and raring to go largely thanks to the unlimited supply of bananas but also in awe of their walk leaders, Rob, Steve and Cath 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, walkers on the 8^th continued to bask in shorts and t-shirts and catch a glimpse of the sun setting.  If only the same reward could be offered to the group on 15^th July, but no, the torrential rain and very high winds continued as they could barely open their eyes for the summit photo before heading back down to the bus to wring out clothing and celebrate with a beer – and most deserved too!

Amanda, the Hospice Events Fundraising Manager said,

“It was amazing to see them complete their challenge.  The apprehension and 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 and grateful to. It’s certainly not an easy challenge and with the added weather, everyone did incredibly well.  It was a privilege to drive the van and play some part in the walking and to get to know our supporters a little more and their journeys.   The photos are amazing and I know people will look back on their experiences will special memories and fondness.”

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 David Spears Commercial Vehicles, our walk leaders Rob, Steve and Cath from Parc Bryn Bach, our corporate sponsor REO Car Sales, to those who sponsored with their most generous funds, for all the kind and good luck comments and special thanks to Anna, Cheryl, Ethan, Gareth, Ian, Jasmine, Julian, Katie, Laura, Mark, Nathan, Nicola, Nikki, Rebecca, Samantha, Simon, Amanda, Barrie, Dafydd, Dean, Gavin, Matt Parsons, Matt Penny, Nigel, Russell, Tom, Barry, Scott, Adel, Ben and Joshua – our walking heroes.