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Christian Smith, Ian Wake, Jon 'JC' Currey, Warren Ferguson, Paul Coulson, Mark Webber with the crucial driving support of Brian Upstone and Curtis Smith are doing the Three Peaks Challenge on 1st September to support the Sick Children's Trust. 

This is a charity very close to my heart. My first son Jack was born in August 2015. What should have been a very exciting and enjoyable experience soon turned into my worst nightmare. 

Jack was not breathing when he was born and had to be resuscitated on two occasions. The doctors were concerned about brain damage and seizures but thankfully Jack was a fighter. He got stronger everyday and were told he would be coming home in a matter of days, once his feeding had been established. However our dreams were shattered once again as on day 5 of his life he was diagnosed with a coarctation of the aorta. This means he had a narrowing of a vital artery that carries blood around the body and to the heart. Not enough oxygenated blood was getting around his body, leaving him barely able to breathe, keep his eyes open and no energy to feed. We were told that he needed urgent open heart surgery at Great Ormomd Street hospital (GOSH)in London and he was put on an urgent waiting list for a bed. Being told the news was such a surreal feeling that to this day I still can't fully put my feelings into words.

The wait for a bed seemed to take forever especially as on several occasions we were told, today was the day only for our hopes to be shattered and it not to come off. Eventually at 2 weeks old we were told that Jack had a bed and we'd be leaving in an ambulance within the next 30 minutes. 2 hours later we found ourselves in the middle of London not knowing how long we would be there for. We were so desperate to get to London and get the operation done we hadn't even thought about accommodation. The first night we were put into emergency accommodation by the hospital. After that due to lack of funding on the NHS only one parent was allowed to stay with Jack each night. At that time all we wanted to do was to be together to support each other so we started to look into hotels.

Thankfully the next day an amazing charity called the Sick Children's Trust came to our rescue. They had heard about our case through the hospital and told us they had somewhere we could stay. We were so grateful as it was one less thing to worry about. We were expecting a little room which would have been more than ample but when we got to the house we found ourselves in a gorgeous Georgian house with fully equipt kitchen, bathroom and bedroom which had a phone line which connected directly to Jack's nurses station in the hospital so we could call them at anytime day or night. The house was in a perfect location just 5 minutes walk away from GOSH and was totally free of charge. They told us we could stay for however long we wanted or needed to, weeks, months there was no hurry to leave. They had a house manager who was on hand to provide any help and support that we might need 24 hours a day. At a time of emotional turmoil this house was an absolute god send and just what we needed. It enabled us to have a good nights sleep and a place to escape to when the hospital became too much to bear but also provided us with the reassurance that we were only a phone call away or a stones throw away from Jack. We are so greatful to the Sick Children's Trust and cannot thank them enough for everything that they did for us. 

This charity isn't a well known one and doesn't get enough support. Without them our time in London would have been far worse than it was. As a thank you to them along with my friends we would like to raise money for this amazing charity. We have challenged ourselves to climb the Three Peaks. This involves climbing the 3 largest mountains in England, Scotland and Wales. The mountains are Snowdon, Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis. As if this isn't hard enough we are going to do this all within 24 hours. 

Now here comes your part - the easy bit!!! Don't worry we aren't asking you to join us in any of the climbs or even drive us! The only way we want you to help us is for you to give us the determination and encouragement to complete this challenge. You can do this by donating any spare money you might have to this amazing charity so we reach our target or £1,000. This will enable the Sick Children's Trusts to continue to operating and offering that essential accommodation and support needed for all those families that are going through a such a difficult time.

Thanks for reading and looking forward to your donations coming in! 

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