We decided that we needed a challenge – you could call it a mid-life crisis if you like.

So on 18^th September 2021, the four of us will be taking on the National Three Peaks Challenge. Within just 24 hours, we will walk, climb and generally drag ourselves to the summits of Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Mount Snowdon, the 3 highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales respectively. It's the equivalent of climbing to the top of Kilimanjaro over the same distance as a marathon. 

It'll be physically and mentally exhausting, and probably cold and wet too! Given the most any of us climb in our everyday lives are the stairs at home, and usually take a break half way up, we need all the help, support and encouragement we can get.

And with that in mind, we wanted to use this opportunity to fundraise for an amazing charity that we all feel does a really important job helping and supporting children, young people and families through their most challenging and distressing times, especially given the year we’ve just had.

Grief Encounter provides open access support services to bereaved children, young people and their families. At the darkest time of their lives, the charity brings light and hope to children who have experienced the death of a parent, sibling or close loved one. Grief is devastating at any age, but for a child who is still emotionally developing, it can be catastrophic. Grief Encounter's wide range of direct clinical services, its national helpline grieftalk, Grief Relief Kits and Workbooks, alongside best practice training programmes for schools, colleges, therapists and corporates, aims to give the right support at the right time, so that young people can go on to lead full and happy lives.

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, Grief Encounter has transitioned all of their face-to-face services online, allowing children, young people and their families to access immediate support, when they need it most. Services include live webchat, e-counselling, online group workshops and extending their national helpline to support all those affected by grief as a result of Coronavirus.

The four of us have been incredibly lucky through the pandemic but we realise that many families have not. For those that have lost loved ones Grief Encounter has been an invaluable resource and we are so grateful for and inspired by the work that they’ve done that we felt compelled to support them.

Please add your support too and donate through JustGiving – it’s simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Thank you for taking the time to read our fundraising page and for giving us, and Grief Encounter, your support. It's incredibly motivating to know you're behind us as we go through the pain of preparing for and (hopefully) completing our challenge.