Hi my name is Kirsty and I will be completing the national 3 peaks in 24 hours challenge with a company called Active Mountaineering on 2nd September 2022.

** The challenge was supposed to be a 3 day challenge from the 20th - 22nd August 2022, however , Active Mountaineering had to postpone these dates due to complications caused by the train strikes. After a discussion with the lead mountaineer, I decided to change my goals and joined the 24 hour challenge. **

The National 3 peaks challenge comprises climbing the highest mountain in Scotland, England and Wales. I will walk about 36km, climb over 3000m (and come down) and drive over 450 miles! I will begin with Ben Nevis and work my way south to Scafell Pike and finishing with Snowdon. 

The reason I chose to do this challenge, apart from my general love of walking, hiking and being in nature, was to give myself a goal during a difficult time with my mental health.

I suffer with anxiety and depression which has been preventing me from being able to work for months. My days have felt aimless and I haven’t felt like I’ve been contributing to society; these feelings in turn have made my mental health worse and I began not feeling joy in my life and not wanting to leave the house… until I made the decision to do this challenge.

Since making this decision I have been able to have some structure to my days again and have regained some control in my life. I’ve been going on walks again, going to the gym and eating better. This boost to my confidence has made me more sociable with friends and family and has helped me become more motivated. 

The reason I have chosen to raise money for The Venus Centre is because I wanted to support a local charity to help give back to my local community. On their website Venus states that their mission is to empower, promote and support women, young women and their children in developing their potential, recognising their choices, achieving their goals and challenging injustice. They provide a variety of services including counselling which I have accessed personally in the past when I was desperate for help and the NHS waiting list was 6 months long. They are an amazing charity and donations go directly into their projects; they also work closely with other charities in the area such as the Swan Womens centre which I have also accessed when I needed help.

Unfortunately, due to my mental health, it has taken me a long time to get the motivation needed to create this justgiving page meaning there isn’t long before the event itself. But I realised that raising ANYTHING is better than nothing so please support if you can 😊

THANK YOU!! I’ll make sure to take lots of pictures!! Xxxx