Following the successful undertaking of the Yorkshire 3 Peaks last year, which raised over £1,000 for the Alzheimer’s Society, I want to take it to the next level and go national. 

The National 3 Peaks Challenge involves summiting the highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales - all within a 24 hour period.

This time I will be raising funds for Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. Unfortunately, 3 years ago we had to give up our Goldendoodle, Scribble, for re-homing. She had an issue with aggressively guarding food, and after exploring multiple options and with our baby boy on the way, we had no choice but to give her up for re-homing. The team at Battersea were absolutely incredible, and their philosophy of 'helping every dog or cat in need', gave Scribble the best outlook where various other centres unfortunately couldn't help.

We donated some money to Battersea at the time, but I want to help support them in this challenge in order to aid their ongoing work in helping other dogs and cats and their associated families. In their 150-year history, Battersea have taken over 3 million animals into their care, and currently take on around 7,000 dogs and cats per year. 

The challenge itself is going to be extremely tough. After meeting in Chester on Friday lunchtime, I will join an organised group that will travel to Fort William, Scotland, by train. Following an arrival in the early evening, the challenge begins on Saturday morning with the climbing of the UK's tallest mountain, Ben Nevis. After a minute or two to absorb the view, it's straight back down again, before a 250 mile/6 hour drive to England's highest peak, Scafell Pike in the Lake District. We descend from Scafell Pike in the dark, before driving through the night to Snowdon in Wales. The final ascent will be done at sunrise, with the aim being to summit all 3 mountains in 24 hours.

In summary, the challenge will involve:

- Trekking for around 13 hours and travelling between mountains for around 11 hours

- Covering around 26 miles on foot (full marathon distance), but with the ascent of 3 mountains

- Ascending a total of 3000m in a single day - almost the same amount of ascent as summiting Kilimanjaro

- Summiting the 3 highest hills in the UK, Ben Nevis (1344m) Scafell Pike (977m) and Snowdon (1085m)

- 450 miles of travelling within the challenge itself

- The 24 hour target runs from the beginning of the Ben Nevis ascent, to the time at which the summit of Snowdon is reached

Thanks for taking the time to visit my page, and a huge thank you if you have decided to donate. Battersea have taken over 3 million animals into their care, and currently take on around 7,000 dogs and cats per year. They are one of the few centres in the UK with a non-selective intake policy, and with no government funding they rely on the generosity and support of the public to care for the thousands of animals who arrive at their gates every year.

You only have to read the notes for each animal available for re-homing to get a sense of the care taken to understand each animal they look after, giving each one the best chance at finding a new, loving home.

Donating through JustGiving is 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.