Angus Lockyer
Angus's Three Peaks Challenge
Fundraising for IntoUniversity
Story
*****25 JULY. THE DAY AFTER****
Done! And wow. Completed the challenge in 22 hours, with 9'45 on the mountains (and a lot of bouncing in the back of a minibus). Ben Nevis starting at 4 am, finished by 7.30; Scafell Pike in the afternoon and horizontal rain, done in 2'45; and Snowdon starting at 10 pm, with drizzle, head torches and much scrambling, finished at 1.30. Amazing team, amazing experience. And now the legs are screaming blue murder--but the knees held up.
I've decided to up the target one last time to £5,000, which would be enough to pay for all the IT equipment for a new centre for IntoUniversity. Graduation this year at SOAS, where I teach, was a reminder what a difference the 3/4 years at university can make--and why it's important to try to make them available to as many as possible, especially those who wouldn't otherwise have the chance.
£5,000 may be a bit far, but after Snowdon in the drizzle at night, most things seem possible. Many thanks to everyone who's donated so far. And many thanks to those still to come.
*****22 JULY. THE NIGHT BEFORE*****
So this is it. Bags packed, carbs loaded. And a wee dram to get me in the mood. The forecast says rain on Ben Nevis, rain on Scafell and, yes, rain on Snowdon. Which will make things fun.
Thanks to everyone who's allowed me to hit the (second) target even before the day itself. Once the deed is done, of course, there may be further peaks to climb. Stay tuned!
*****12 JULY. THE DAY AFTER TRAINING*****
Great training day in the Brecons yesterday. Perfect weather, great group with Russ the taskmaster and Simon aka Gandalf as our yin and yang. (Simon found an orphaned pole. Don't ask.) The knees held up better than last time, but there's got to be some foam rolling in the next couple of weeks. And then off to Scotland. The Challenge is suddenly much closer.
As is £3,700. Thank you thank you to everyone who's donated so far. It's been extraordinary seeing the total tick upwards. Here's hoping it keeps going!
*****18 JUNE. UPPING THE TARGET ****
Many many thanks to everyone who’s donated so far. I reached my initial target, enough to support nearly 7 young people for a year, after just six days, which is fantastic.But… there are nearly six
weeks left to go until I have to climb the peaks. So I talked to Sam at IntoUniversity
who suggested upping the target.
I’m now going for
£3700,
which would pay for all the materials needed to run the after-school Academic
Support sessions at all 6 centres. It may be
a bit too ambitious--like getting up Snowdon at midnight?--but worth
trying.
(And if we get to £3700,
there’s always £5000, which would pay for all the IT equipment needed to set up
a completely new centre. A boy can
dream.)
****17
JUNE, NOONISH. WHAT JUST HAPPENED?****
Wow. It took
six days to reach my target... And there's still six weeks or so to go
until the challenge itself. Many thanks to all those who've donated so
far. But please don't stop! I'm wondering whether to up the target
or try to exceed (150%, 200%??). But also realizing that it's now on me.
Training resumed this week. Hampstead Heath isn't quite a peak, but
it has some hills, and the legs are... getting there.
*****11
JUNE, AROUND MIDNIGHT. WHO
KNEW?*****
It's
working! 12 hours later and already over quarter of a way to my target!
(I'm thinking / hoping that it was a conservative one.) Many thanks
to everyone who's donated already. I've also discovered that SOAS students
are already working closely with Into University--as ever, they're ahead of the
game. The new boots are sitting in wait--just need to get in a bit more
training...
*****11 JUNE, NOONISH. WHAT I’M DOING AND WHY I’M DOING IT.***** Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. I'm Angus Lockyer. I live in Hackney, I teach history at SOAS, part of the University of London, and having hit my early 40s I've started to try to get fit. Better late than never. As part of this, I'm going to be trying to complete the Three Peaks Challenge later this summer. I'll be starting to climb Ben Nevis at 4 am on Saturday 24 July, getting to the top of Scafell Pike by mid/late afternoon, and coming down off Snowdon, with luck, before 4 am on Sunday. When I signed up for this, I thought it sounded like fun. During my first training day in the Brecons (probably toiling up Pen y Fan) I realized I've got a bit more work to do--and need some decent boots. But I also decided (somewhere on the way down) that it shouldn't be just about me. So, after talking to a few friends, I've decided to try to raise money for Into University. One of the joys of working at SOAS is the diversity of the people who work and, above all, study here. Like all universities, it's a place that makes a difference not just to what we know but, we hope, to the society in which we live. Into University is a charity that provides local learning centres for young people who are at risk of not realising their potential, due to their social background, and helps them to work towards university and so to improve their chances in life. At the moment, there are six centres in London, including Hackney, and the vision of a national network. I'm hoping that climbing the Three Peaks goes a small way toward sustaining their important work. £250 is to provide a young person with access to a Centre's resources for a year, including academic support, mentors and study weeks. I've started with a target of £2,000, but hoping for (much?) more. Donating through this website is simple, fast and secure. Your details are safe: JustGiving will never sell them on or send unwanted emails. And once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So I raise more and we save time and cut costs for the charity. Thank you for anything you can donate, however small (or large). I'll be updating this page as the challenge gets closer and my legs stronger.
*****11 JUNE, NOONISH. WHAT I’M DOING AND WHY I’M DOING IT.***** Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. I'm Angus Lockyer. I live in Hackney, I teach history at SOAS, part of the University of London, and having hit my early 40s I've started to try to get fit. Better late than never. As part of this, I'm going to be trying to complete the Three Peaks Challenge later this summer. I'll be starting to climb Ben Nevis at 4 am on Saturday 24 July, getting to the top of Scafell Pike by mid/late afternoon, and coming down off Snowdon, with luck, before 4 am on Sunday. When I signed up for this, I thought it sounded like fun. During my first training day in the Brecons (probably toiling up Pen y Fan) I realized I've got a bit more work to do--and need some decent boots. But I also decided (somewhere on the way down) that it shouldn't be just about me. So, after talking to a few friends, I've decided to try to raise money for Into University. One of the joys of working at SOAS is the diversity of the people who work and, above all, study here. Like all universities, it's a place that makes a difference not just to what we know but, we hope, to the society in which we live. Into University is a charity that provides local learning centres for young people who are at risk of not realising their potential, due to their social background, and helps them to work towards university and so to improve their chances in life. At the moment, there are six centres in London, including Hackney, and the vision of a national network. I'm hoping that climbing the Three Peaks goes a small way toward sustaining their important work. £250 is to provide a young person with access to a Centre's resources for a year, including academic support, mentors and study weeks. I've started with a target of £2,000, but hoping for (much?) more. Donating through this website is simple, fast and secure. Your details are safe: JustGiving will never sell them on or send unwanted emails. And once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So I raise more and we save time and cut costs for the charity. Thank you for anything you can donate, however small (or large). I'll be updating this page as the challenge gets closer and my legs stronger.