Three Peaks, two dogs and one amazing team!!

17th July 2023

Our magnificent team from Simpson Wood defied the elements and all completed the Yorkshire 3 Peaks challenge on Saturday in aid of Ruddi’s Retreat.

Unfortunately, the weather was unkind, and they faced thunderstorms, wind and rain, which was particularly fierce on the third peak, Ingleborough. Although describing themselves as broken, every member of the team completed the challenge…..and they completed it because they were a strong team! We are extremely proud of how they all supported each other throughout the day.

Walking the distance of a marathon on difficult terrain in these conditions is a tremendous achievement and all members of the team are amazing in doing this for such a great cause. The members of our team who took part are Anna, George, Hayden, Jack, James, Kerri, Luke, Matt, Tom, along with friends and relatives Elliot, Joe and James and not forgetting the two dogs Vinnie and Cookie!

The day started as the team set off early to begin the ascent of Pen-y-Ghent at 8am. After completing the first peak and walking to Whernside the team met with our managing director Mark Fielding who provided them with supplies and joined them for the middle peak, wearing his 1989 Liverpool away socks and noting that there was only one member of the team older than these!

They reached the summit by around 2pm still looking reasonably fresh having survived thunderstorms on the ascent. By the time the descent was complete the rain was closing in but the team were determined to continue on to Ingleborough. Already feeling tired and aching they battled on through as the elements got fiercer with the wind picking up and the rain becoming torrential. Ingleborough is a blur for many of the team who were solely focussed on completing the challenge by this point. The full team completed the challenge together at 7.45pm (under the 12 hours!) wet and broken. The photos below reflect the change in conditions and their effect on the team so please scroll through to take a look.

“Having only walked the middle peak with them today , I am blown away by what they have achieved,” said Mark Fielding. He continued “It has been such a difficult challenge for them to walk in these conditions. The team have been truly amazing and I don’t think anyone can ever imagine what they have all gone through.”

Once they had reached the finish line they were too cold, wet and tired to have the planned celebratory drink and Fish & Chips and instead opted for getting home to hot baths and takeaways!

The challenge of walking the Three Peaks takes huge effort, but in the weather conditions they experienced it was an absolute monumental achievement. Many of them said it was the hardest thing they’ve ever done in their lives. They have now exceeded the target set but would like to raise enough to pay for the ground rent for one of Ruddi’s caravans for the year which is £6,208. Every donation helps as shown below

£5 pays for a welcome pack for when families arrive
£10 buys a bed set for one of the caravan beds
£50 keeps a caravan clean to the high standard required for families with low immune systems
£250 for a caravan break
Ruddis are also trying to raise £50,000 to buy a new caravan to help more families

Our donation page is still open at bit.ly/SW3Peaks if you would look to show your appreciation for their efforts and we would also like to say thank you to all those who have already given. Your donations will make a huge difference to a local charity in helping them provide respite breaks for families going through traumatic times.