I have completed the Yorkshire 3 Peaks challenge 17 times, ranging from 13 hours to complete to 6hours 11 minutes. My first ever time was in 2006 as I was training for Kilimanjaro and managed to drag myself round in 10 hours 20 minutes. I never for one minutes thought I would do it again, never mind 17 times and certainly not 5 times in a row! However the Y3P has become one of my go to places to train and spend time on my feet. The 3 peaks and Pen Y Ghent especially has become a special place for me and a go to for when I need time to collect my thoughts and get away from life’s problems.

Whilst taking part in the 3 peaks we are inviting people to join us to take on a 3 peaks challenge of their own or just to conquer one peak. 

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Tommys believe that every baby lost is one too many. Tommy’s exists to support, care for and champion people, no matter where they may be on their pregnancy journey.that every baby lost is one too many. Tommy’s exists to support, care for and champion people, no matter where they may be on their pregnancy journey.

This is the charity I have thought about setting up, albeit on a much smaller scale. But the work they do and approach to managing mental health is fantastic.

After my Dad got diagnosed with cancer I searched for a challenge to help raise money for the Macmillan Nurses who had supported him and the family enormously but also to help take my mind off his suffering and also give me a purpose. Suddenly life was a lot shorter…

I signed up to climb Kilimanjaro, a huge challenge for an unfit slightly overweight 25 year old. Getting out into the hills and countryside not only helped from a training perspective but to also focus my thoughts. 

After my best friend Matt died from an undiagnosed heart condition the outdoors and cycling and walking really did save my life. I was prescribed anti-depressants but only took them for a short time as time outdoors offered much more to me than pills could. This was the same in 2019 and 2020 when we suffered two miscarriage’s. 

I have wanted to try and encourage people struggling to get out walking or cycling with me, but lack the resources and confidence to do this and when I saw Mind Over Mountains and saw they had achieved what I had always wanted to do, so decided to support them with this challenge. The 3 peaks pub crawl came about as a way for me to focus and get through lockdown and having a miscarriage during this, cycling and walking really kept me from going under the last 18 months so it made perfect sense to support them.

So what do Mind Over Mountains do…their website says:

We are a mental health charity offering immediate and accessible support through therapeutic outdoor experiences. 

We deliver events throughout the UK, with bursaries available to those with the most challenging lives. Ranging from one day to weekend retreats, our programmes bring together professionally guided hill-walking, mindfulness and time in the company of experienced coaches and counsellors.

We believe this time in nature, coupled with professional support is a powerful way to build resilience, talk without pressure and re-find stillness. 

Find out more about the work of Mind Over Mountains

Rosemere Cancer Centre is a special place for many. The work they do and support they offer at a truly horrendous time is off the scale. They treated my Dad when he was suffering from bowel cancer and i know many other friends who have sadly had to use the support at Rosemere whether as a patient or through a relative.