A group of men from Eccles has completed the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge, raising more than £2,750 for a local mental health charity.
The 11 men completed the challenge on Saturday July 12 in under 10 hours.
The fundraiser was in aid of Eccles charity Cleaner and Dryer (CAD). set up following the death of much-loved father, Chris Drysdale who took his own life due to depression.
It meets weekly in the smaller gym at Eccles Boxing School.
Lee Middleton, volunteer and mentor of CAD, said: “It was the hardest challenge any of us have ever done but we all completed it in under 10 hours.
“Eleven of us went up, and it was such a good day, but it was so hard, I think I underestimated it.”
He had already climbed Snowdon, run half marathons, and hiked Three Peaks in Madeira but believes this was his toughest challenge yet.
The group met at Urmston retail park at 5am and wanted to begin their challenge by 7am – but in order to finish had to endure the warm weekend temperatures.
Lee continued: “We got there on time, and I knew it was going to be a tough challenge. I have done many before, but this was so different because of the heat.
“It was a ruthless day, with the weather.”
He continued: “We set off for the first one (Pen-y-Ghent), and I wouldn’t have said it was easy, but we felt good. But we made the mistake of climbing it the wrong way, which added five miles onto our trek – but we learned.
“It was intense, but we were able to get to the top of the second one (Whernside) and we knew we had to keep going to reach the end (Ingleborough).”
Despite feet and knee pain, Lee persevered as he was motivated to finish for the charitable cause.
He said: “We were told that some people get to the peak of the second one, and stop but we knew we had to keep going.
“Towards 70% of the way into the challenge, my knee was really struggling, and our feet were destroyed despite our preparation, and my hips.
“Cardio-wise, I was fit, but nothing prepares you for the 26-mile trek, in under 10 hours in 30-degree heat – but we had the motivation of the charity behind us.”
But rather than spend the following day recovering on the sofa, he ended up going for a family bike ride
“By Sunday evening, I was running on fumes and my eldest son said, ‘Dad I think you need to go to bed’, but you wouldn’t have it any other way, I used every bit of energy.”
The money raised for CAD will help to meet the costs of hosting venues, helping people overcome addictions, mental Health, alcoholism, loneliness, abuse and anxiety.
The group was set up to bring men together and promote health and wellness both young and old through various social and physical activities.
It has since launched a women’s group alongside another men’s group in Failsworth.
Lee continued: “We are hoping to give back to the spaces that help us and support them for helping us and allowing us to run our sessions in both Eccles and Failsworth.
“We have previously bought Eccles Boxing School, boxing gloves, boxing bags and equipment to say thank you.”
Lee added: “We are planning a trip to Snowdon, so the raised funds will also pay for the group to go on a mini-bus and will go towards team-building exercises.
“A lot of the participants are taught team-building exercises, and establishing trust within the group. So, things like this are so important.
“We did Snowdon, almost 18 months ago – and that trip gave them the confidence to do challenging activities and being outdoors, while building their fitness and mental health.
“So, we will pay back to the support we have received and also fund trips to help with the support further.”
Donations are still open and the final target is £3,000. The link can be found here.
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