Next up is the China Challenge in May!

Ed was our superhero big brother. An indestructible figure to us and himself. He proved it many times whether it was his service in the Royal Marines, his adventures on the mountains he loved so much or as a towering figure on the rugby fields he played on in his youth.

Ed was taken from us all; his Mum and Dad, who had already lost one child - our sister Caroline. He was taken from his Gran who relied on his visits and the help he gave her. Maybe worst of all he was taken from his beautiful baby daughter Esme and his new loving wife Ruth.

Ed had a short final battle with cancer that not even he could beat and we, his brothers Tom, John and Henry want to raise money for the place that looked after him in the last weeks of his life in the Christmas and New Year of 2018 - 2019; St Davids Hospice.

We want to honour Ed's memory, doing a series of Ed style events between us!

Most people in North Wales will know of St Davids Hospice, this amazing place that it is the only free end of life care hospice available in North West Wales. 

They looked after Ed, and over the past 20 years, many other peoples family and friends in a way that we are all eternally grateful for. They gave Ed support and dignity in his most painful and challenging time, they gave it to us his family too. 

They need money to do this. 

They are funded solely on charity and need to raise around 3 million pounds a year to keep providing care for our loved ones.

Help us raise a ton of money for them and honour the memory of our amazing big brother. 

Donate now!

What are our challenges?

Over two years Tom, Henry and John will be taking on a series of epic challenges to raise money for St Davids Hospice and we want this page to be the focal point for donations.

We want to challenge ourselves, not just to raise money for St Davids, not just to honour Ed's memory, but to do things Ed would be proud of us for doing. To do things Ed would have done with us and in spirit will be.

Henry's Hell of a Hill Marathon Completed!

'The Hell of A Hill' is no ordinary marathon. It has a rough estimate of a 4000 ft climb totalled with a distance of 42.2km and a strict 9hr time limit to complete (as walking is to be expected) 😲

GO9K Completed!

John Burke and Tom Burke swam around the Great Orme in Llandudno on September 8th 2019 in a smashing time of 2 and a half hours. Without a wetsuit!

The local paper did a really nice write up of the day, which can be ssen here: 

https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/17901077.brothers-complete-great-orme-swim-raise-thousands-charity-memory-sibling/

#GO9K

A bit of background and info about all the other challenges:

2019 challenges so far...

Tom will be undertaking a number of triathlons this year, starting with a sprint distance triathlon called the Slateman that is poignant because he did the full distance version with Ed a few years ago. In typical fashion, Ed forgot his wetsuit and wasn't allowed to swim. The organisers let him do the bike and run but he didn't get a place recorded in the finish. Tom claimed this as a win over Ed in order to gently rib him at every opportunity.

As well as the Slateman, Tom will be doing the Snowman full distance triathlon and then to round off 2019 the sprint and full distances of the Sandman triathlons over two days. John and Henry may well join in for some of them!

John and Tom will be swimming around the Great Orme in Llandudno during September 2019, they will start at the West Shore in Llandudno where St David's Hospice is based and end up at Llandudno pier.

A big one for Henry and Tom will be a marathon called the Hell of a Hill marathon in Chorley they will be taking on with their cousin Paul, who is also taking on a number of extreme challenges for another cause related to Ed, Ogwen Mountain Rescue Organisation. 

2020 challenges so far...

The big one, that was thought up by St Davids themselves is the St Davids China Challenge in May 2020. John, Tom and Henry will be doing the following epic challenge: 

A nine-day trekking adventure to conquer the twists, turns, steps and slopes of the Great Wall of China in support of St David's Hospice. Supporters will trek along this iconic Wonder of the World, cross ancient watchtowers and battlement stations to witness magnificent panoramas of luscious, rolling green hills as far as the eye can see! They will climb the iconic Heavenly Ladder and help rebuild part of the wall, a unique exclusive to Global Adventure Challenges, whilst immersing themselves in the stunning scenery and Chinese culture. They'll also have the opportunity to explore Beijing, China's capital where ancient and modern meet. Supporters will have a chance to visit iconic landmarks such as the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and the famous Tiananmen Square to name a few!

Ironman Wales 2020, Tom and Henry will be taking on an absolute beast of a challenge, this mega race is a 3-mile swim, a 100+ mile bike ride and a full marathon. All in one day! What makes it even tougher is Henry hasn't ever really challenged himself this much, Tom has done other big challenges but this will be very tough for them both and require a lot of training, sacrifices and hard work.

If you're a taxpayer please remember to tick the gift aid box when donating meaning St David's Hospice can get an extra 25p for every £1 you kindly give.

The Ed Burke Challenge Award In 2020 we will be creating a special award for an as of yet unknown challenge. A hand made, wooden trophy, created by artist Nick Fisher will be awarded to someone who shows great determination or teamwork in a challenge, more details will follow as we progress.