A small team of Ascent Flight Training personnel from RAF Valley in North Wales will complete the UK Three Peak Challenge on 7 June 2025 to raise funds for the Bear Force Children's Positive Mental Health Charity. The UK Three Peaks Challenge involves summiting Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), the highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales respectively, within 24 hours. It is not a challenge for the faint-hearted!

The Challenge starts in Scotland at Ben Nevis, which at 1,344 metres, or 4,413 ft, is the tallest of the three. From there the expedition will drive south into the Lake District, where they climb Scafell Pike (978 m, 3,209 ft). The final of the three is the Welsh mountain, Yr Wyddfa (or Snowdon), standing at no less than 1,085 m, 3,560 ft.

So why are we fundraising for the Bear Force Charity.....?

BEAR FORCE was established to encourage children of all ages to talk about their worries; to create safe spaces and environments where they can talk and be heard; to provide easily accessible platforms with advice in a format that children can understand, and to raise awareness of the need for adults to listen.

The vital part of BEAR FORCE’s work in 2025 is moving from setting up the charity, and media work to raise awareness, to service provision and operational delivery. To do that the Charity needs to raise funds in order to train volunteers to go into schools for them. We have seen the first elements of operational delivery with BEAR FORCE (supported by the Royal Air Force's No 6 Flying Training School and University Air Squadrons) already visiting 6 schools and spreading the message to almost 600 children about #talk, talk, talk. In other words, about good communication. Talking openly about the good, bad and ugly in life, with a trusted adult. The Charity’s updated book (called 'BEAR FORCE') and training from Sarah Anderson (Child Psychotherapist with 30 years’ experience in trauma informed counselling) will ensure that the BEAR FORCE Charity is adding genuine value to children and helping schools to develop resilient future generations who are better equipped to cope with life through the good times, and the bad, in equal measure.

BEAR FORCE is kindly seeking your support to raise funds to pay for training courses for carers, teachers and other trusted adults. The training courses have been designed to help caregivers become better at child engagement, listening, and safeguarding; PREVENTION BEING FAR BETTER THAN THE CURE. In the mid- to longer-term, BEAR FORCE is seeking to fund the roll out of thousands of these training courses UK-wide. Nearer term, funds raised through this UK Three Peaks fundraiser and JustGiving Page will support the initial roll-out of training courses in North Wales, with a specific focus on supporting our local community around RAF Valley and throughout Anglesey.

Thank you once again for considering (and hopefully supporting) the ASCENT Flight Training UK Three-Peaks Team and the BEAR FORCE Children's Positive Mental Health Charity. Your sponsorship and support will enable BEAR FORCE to provide a range of Services for the public benefit to relieve the needs of children and young people who are experiencing or who may be at risk of experiencing poor mental health, their families and carers.

Thanks for taking the time to visit this JustGiving page.

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.