OUR CHALLENGE...

 

Hi, thanks for taking the time to open this link. Below is an outline of our challenge, a personal note on why we have chosen Shooting Star Chase as a charity to support and a little on what they do for so many children and families.

 

Apparently if you leave a group of monkeys in a locked room with enough paper and ink long enough then eventually they would have written the entire works of Shakespeare. Conversely if you leave three brothers in a bar with enough time and alcohol then they would eventually conspire a plan which would include considerable aches, pains, cost and time...Seemed like a good idea at the bar...

 

On the 2nd July 2011 our aim is to complete the British classic 'The Three Peaks Challenge'. This means ascending and descending the highest mountains in Scotland (Ben Nevis) , England (Scafell Pike) and Wales (Snowdon), all within 24 hours. As well as the physical effort of such a gruelling series of walks, fighting fatigue and no doubt the traditional inclement British mountain weather the logistics alone make this quite a challenge!  We're training hard and planning meticuously so with a good wind, the driving support of Tony Nation and forgiving traffic, we're hoping to end up in a pub in Llanberis within 24 hours of setting off up from the base of Ben Nevis!

Whilst doing this as a personal challenge for ourselves, we are also hoping to raise money for a very worthwhile charity in the process.  

 

OUR REASON...

My nephew Shea Malone was born on 9th August 2008 with Cystic Fibrosis, a common recessive genetic disease which affects the entire body, causing progressive disability and often early death.  Difficulty breathing is the most serious symptom and results from frequent lung infections that are treated with, though not cured by, antibiotics and other medications. Unfortunately for Shea his troubled start to life did not end there.  

Following a multitude of tests in his early weeks he was eventually also diagnosed with Pelizaeus–Merzbacher disease (PMD) this is a rare central nervous system disorder in which coordination, motor abilities, and intellectual function are delayed to variable extents. His extents are unfortunately quite severe, he has very limited arm and leg movement with little co-ordination, no control over his neck muscles to support his head, registered blind and is unable to eat or drink through his mouth. All this being said you will never see a little boy smile so much or complain so little.   

                                 
As a result, the care he receives from his Mum Helen, Dad Patrick and big sister Cora is extensive and consuming. As much as family and friends try to lighten the load only Chase Hospice can offer the specialist, trained care that gives them the respite they deserve as well as the experience to help emotionally.   

                               
With the help of Chase Hospice the family can shift their focusses to one another, Cora has some quality time with mum and dad and Helen and Pat can spoil Cora in ways they couldn't otherwise.        

These are our reasons for supporting Chase Hospice but there are over 500 other reasons in the South East.

    

OUR CHARITY...  

 

Shooting Star CHASE is the children's hospice service, supporting local families with a child or teenager not expected to reach their 19th birthday. They currently help over 500 families living in West London, Surrey and West Sussex.  

                                                 
They are there for every step of their journey, sharing the good times, and helping them through the tough times with practical, nursing and emotional support.  The support is free of charge and they care for families in their homes, in their communities and at their two children’s hospices Shooting Star House, in Hampton and Christopher’s, in Guildford.    

                                                    
Their services include:    

 

• Planned short breaks at home and at their two children’s hospices
• Hospice at home
• Day care, education and special activities
• Family support and therapies
• Symptom management and paediatric palliative care
• Short notice support for families in a crisis
• Care at the end of a child’s life
• Bereavement care and support for all the family for as long as they need it.

With no guaranteed government funding, especially in these times of austerity Chase hospice needs to raise £23,000 a day to continue its vital service.

If you've read on this far then hopefully we've touched a nerve and you'll put your hands in your pocket in aid of a very worthy cause.

 

Thank you

 

Matt, Jon and David Turner

 

 

THE UPDATE

 

After over 21,000ft of ascent and descent, and nearly 500 miles of driving within 24 hours we sat back again in a pub, with a beer, successful. What satrted with an idea, in a pub ended in a similar fashion.

Before going any further we would like to say a massive thank you to all of you who have donated and supported Shooting Star Chase, the response has been incredible, better than we had hoped and mostly conducted through Just Giving and various other social media channels. Many people are not keen on social networking of this kind (me included) but you can't deny its effectiveness as far as charity is concerned, bringing in donations from all over the world!

 

Secondly we would like to say a massive thank you to Tony Nation, Jon's father-in-law and our new best mate for volunteering his time and mammoth effort in carting us around our 3 peaks in what must have been record time! Whilst we slept and massaged sore legs Tony drove us through dead ends in Glasgow and multiple road blocks in Carlisle (If I have to hear a sat nav say 'Turn left at Tower Road' one more time, I'll eat it!) to bring us safely to the foot of each peak.

 

After carb loading at an Italian in Fort William we took the short drive to Glen Nevis where the challenge would start. Ben Nevis required little navigation so it was just a case of getting your head down and plodding up, despite some early niggles with cramps, boot adjustments and encountering small snow fields she fell relatively easily and we were back to the car with 40 minutes spare. This we hoped would get us out of trouble if we encountered any nasty traffic.

 

The following few hours were a blur of light sleep, closed roads and trying to get comfortable but by 3am we were in Wadale for Scafell Pike. We set off in darkness, making good time until I made the school boy error of following another group in front of us. Checking the map we corrected ourselves by climbing the side of a hill to find the correct path and back on track. It made little difference to our time but did teach me a lesson. 40 minutes later we reached Lingmell Col, the saddle to the West of Scafell Pike just as the sun broke on the horizon for the first spot of daylight that day, a fantastic moment timed perfectly by my earlier deviation....Shortly after Scafell was notched off and we descended back to Wasdale for the next stage of our journey.

 

By the time we reached Llanberis we were over 2 hours in credit! This left us with a dilemma. during one of our planning meetings we discussed keeping the challenge as pure as possible, this meaning keeping the ascents from as close to sea level as possible. Fort William and Wasdale were already starting at 20m and 65m above sea level respectively but most 3 peakers will start Snowdon from Pen-y-pass at 600m. To keep it 'pure' we decided despite aches and pains to walk the Llanberis path which starts its ascent at around 100m.

Despite being the most familiar mountain to us all it was without doubt the hardest due to tired muscles and fatigue. Snowdon was packed at that time of day, with children and the aged skipping past us we must have looked like 3 of the unfittest men ever to have graced its flanks! We sat at the summit for several minutes pretending to be waiting for someone to take a photo for us despite the hoards of people passing before finally descending the track back to Llanberis.

 

The challenge was complete, with 22 hours and 30 minutes on the clock. A respectable effort considering we opted for an extra 500m of ascent and descent. We were met by our folks who travelled up the night before to meet us at the finale alongside Tony. Minutes later we were all sat at a bar sipping a grateful beer and considering how to make it to our second floor room for a bath.

 

I'm sure we'll all spin our own yarns on the events over that 24 hours and no doubt they'll get more spectacular as time goes on but this for now is a summary while it is still fresh in my head and a little less inflated.

 

Thanks again for everyones support, we're glad we did your pennies proud.