STOP PRESS ------- WOW! What a blsitering weekend! The team did it - achieving ALL 3 peaks within 24 hours with one minute to spare!!! and some stunning times for some of our runners on each mountain!
They did an amazing job and can be very proud to join those who have pushed their bodies to the limit.... on this CRAZY challenge - WELL DONE ALL
With SOARING temperatures and busy busy roads [Scotish bank holiday weekend, end of 1/2 term and the hottest weekend in N wales for ages] the 3 peaks really was a very mighty achievement by the whole team who had worked so hard to train, prepare and raise sponsorship.
There was high drama at the end when the rescue helicopter was seen circling Mount Snowdon - but it was another group struggling with incredibly hot conditions..
The good news is that there is still time to show your support for the whole team! Now that they have done it we hope you can sponsor them and leave a message using our just giving pages below - these ensure we get your money quickly and recover basic rate tax too!
The walkers/runners included YMCA clients, staff from across West Kent YMCA - Ryder House, the Horizon Project, Head office and some family and friends who agreed to this challenge to help support our work... Thank you and well done to ALL the team.
A VERY BIG thank you to West Kent Extra [the charitable arm of West Kent Housing Association WKHA] who gave us a grant to pay for travel, YHA bunks and walking gear/boots for the young people who took part in this challenge!
"YMCA team takes on Three Peaks Challenge" | press article below...
A few hardy people have been persuaded to undertake the Three Peaks Challenge, to help raise funds to send 3 or 4 of our young people on a 3 week trip to South Africa in July 2009!
Their trip is called the "Inner Journey" and is the most amazing opportunity for them to experience a way of life so different from their own, and also to share theirs’ with African youngsters. We sent three last year and the effect on their lives has been immeasurable, so we are repeating the trip this year.
Our fundraising walk takes us to Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Mount Snowdon, all of which we must climb within twenty-four hours over the weekend of May 30/31st.
Twelve of us are travelling by minibus from Kent to Ben Nevis and the bus will then ferry us between the three sites. It is our intention to finish by 5.00 pm on the Sunday evening having walked 26 miles [a marathon] plus 1000s of feet of climbing!!
Some serious training is underway, but more, much more, I fear, is required! .........SO PLEASE SPONSOR US..... ..........
Please sponsor Alice, Andrea, Chris or Luke from Ryder House | or Paul or Tim from the HORIZON Project
"YMCA team takes on Three Peaks Challenge" Kent and Sussex Courier Sunday, April 12, 2009, Jane Bakowski __________________
YOUNGSTERS who have been given fresh direction by a charity dedicated to transforming lives have set themselves a whole new goal.
A team from Ryder House, West Kent YMCA`s supported housing scheme in Belgrave Road, Tunbridge Wells, is training hard to tackle the Three Peaks Challenge on May 30, in which participants climb the highest mountains in England, Scotland and Wales in just 24 hours.
"I am under no illusions; I know it will be hard," said 24-year-old apprentice Christopher Guest, a tenant at Ryder House for 15 months. "But it will be a good test of character and I hope to gain a sense of achievement from completing it."
As well as testing their own abilities, members of the team are aiming to raise money for fellow residents taking part in an expedition to South Africa this summer.
The Inner Journey Project offers young people the chance to learn about everything from trekking and bushcraft to education and the environment. "It will be the experience of a lifetime," said 19-year-old Rachel Horne, who is training to be a youth worker. "I have never had the opportunity to prove to myself and others that I can achieve, but this will give us all a chance to prove our strengths. It will be amazing."
Housing support manager Andrea Butler said: "Both these challenges offer our young people the chance to find out so much about themselves, whether they are climbing Snowdon or catching and cooking their own food in South Africa. "They have to raise the total cost of £8,000 themselves, so as well as finding sponsors for the Three Peaks, they are organising events like boot fairs and raffles."
She added: "People come to us for all sorts of reasons. It could be domestic violence or behavioural issues, parents with drug or alcohol problems or family disputes. But in this secure environment they are very supportive of each other, and they surprise me all the time by their commitment and energy."
The Three Peaks Challenge is on May 30. To sponsor the team, contact Andrea Butler on 01892 542209 or visit www.thisiskent.co.uk/links __________________ click the link below to see full article and photo & Comment on this story by Jane Bakowski
http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/westkent/YMCA-team-takes-Peaks-Challenge-Tunbridge-Wells/article-884618-detail/article.html 