UPDATE:  3 July 2011 - WE DID IT!!  Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike, and Snowdon climbed in a non-stop challenge by young people from the Birchwood Centre -  young people who, 3 months ago couldn't have imagined such a challenge and most of whom had never climbed a hill let alone a mountain.

  

People in Skelmersdale are often run down, young people especially so and young people who are homeless and in crisis still more so.  The Birchwood team were faced with comments such as "you'll never do that".  Well the young people from the centre rose to the Challenge and showed that when a goal is pursued with a purpose and belief then those who always see a problem rather than a solution can be proved wrong.

  

I'm proud of my own achievement on completing the Three Peaks (losing a few pounds in weight helped!) and I hope those who know me will respond by contributing to the fundraising effort, but most of all I am proud of the team of young people, the youngest 16 years of age, who took up this Challenge, helped and supported each other, walked through the pain and were rewarded with a fantastic sense of achievement as we walked down into Llanberis as dusk fell on 2 July.

 

Paul Lawrenson, 17, said about Ben Nevis, “We had a safety briefing by the mountain guide to beware of the snow verges, present even in summer, as they can collapse underfoot causing you to fall and maybe get injured or even killed!”

  

By Snowdon the Challenge was telling.  Sam Low, 19, said, “We crossed a bridge over a beautiful lake and then the path just went straight up. I felt sick and didn`t think I could do it but everyone was shouting, “Come on Sammy you can do it” and so I did it to prove to myself that you can will yourself to do absolutely anything even if you think it`s probably impossible.”

  

By the end, Vickie Birch, 17, said “I`ve definitely used muscles I haven`t used before but I did this challenge to work towards something I would always be proud of, and we`re all so very proud to have raised this money for the Birchwood Centre.”

 

For them please donate towards the fundraising target.

 

Thank you to local company Nutrisport for their generous sponsorship of the event.

   

Earlier postings below 

I've had a lot of advantages in life.  The young people at the Birchwood Centre (officially called the West Lancashire Crisis and Information Centre) in Skelmersdale haven't.  Relationships at home break down and the young people who are referred to the centre, or who more often than not simply turn up on the doorstep, have hit rock bottom.  They are seeking a home and a future. 

 

...and that's what the Birchwood Centre provides.  It most emphatically is not a hostel.  It provides a stable and friendly home environment.  They are even supported when they leave the centre and move into their own homes to make sure they are happy and coping with the challenges of living independently 

The centre is staffed 24 hours a day and young people take part in life skills programmes as well as being supported into educational and work opportunities.

 

I'm a trustee at the Centre, and I've seen the way they transform the lives of so many young people.  The Centre's motto is "A place to live and grow".  That's emphatically what it provides. 

 

We can accommodate 10 young people at any time, but the sobering reality is that we are constantly full and we are not meeting the whole demand for our services.  That's why I wanted to raise additional funds for the Centre and when I mentioned the Three Peaks Challenge to the young people at the Centre the reaction was "we want to take part too!"

UPDATE:  Hear more about the Centre and the Three Peaks Challenge on Radio Lancashire on Friday 24th June from 1.15 to 2pm. 

We're already busy in training.  The photos here show us training on Ingleborough and on 26 May on Helvellyn.  We needed flippers for Helvellyn, but it was good preparation for whatever the weather throws at us, when we climb the highest peaks in England, Scotland and Wales on July 2nd.  Thanks to local company Nutrisport  for their sponsorship of the Challenge. 

 

 

The centre's young people are keen to support other local charities for young people and therefore 25% of the proceeds raised will be distributed to other local charities for the purpose of helping young people in West Lancashire.

 

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. So please dig deep and donate now to help the Birchwood Centre build on its work and help more young people into independent living.