Three Cave Rescue Organisation team members are taking on the Winter Spine Mountain Rescue Team (MRT) Challenge races. The events are labelled “Britain’s most brutal", spanning the length of the Pennine Way mid-Winter. Read the full story behind the fundraiser below 👇

The Cave Rescue Organisation or CRO, celebrates it's 90th anniversary in 2025. That's 90 years of volunteers giving up time to save lives above and below ground in the three peaks region of the Yorkshire Dales. You might be surprised to know that CRO not only rescues from caves and mountains, they also have a team of Swift Water Rescue Technicians (SRT) specially trained to undertake rescues in rivers and waterbodies.

The autumn of 2024 saw a further six CRO team members qualify as SRT. Specialist rescues require specialist kit, and the team now need to buy six new sets of personal protective equipment (PPE). This includes a bespoke drysuit, buoyancy aid, helmet and footwear and costs ~£1150 per person.

This kit is vital to ensure team members stay safe and are fully equipped to best help those in need.

Craig Perkins, Eleri Pritchard and Jude Lane are three of those new SRTs and to help raise funds for the new kit, they will be taking on very different, but potentially just as wet (!) challenges, The Montane Winter Spine Race MRT Challenges.

The Spine Races are a series of non-stop races along the Pennine Way in the middle of January and are "widely regarded amongst the toughest endurance races in the world" according to the race website!

Rain, unrelenting winds, snow, ice, swollen rivers and mile after mile of shoe swallowing bog are all to be expected and at a time of year when there is only 8 hrs of daylight!

Eleri and Jude will be taking on the Challenger South race, 108 miles from Edale, the start of the Pennine Way, to Hawes, starting on 11th January. Craig will be tackling the Challenger North race, 160 miles from Hardraw to the end of the Pennine Way at Kirk Yetholm, starting on 13th January.

The trio are already out on the trails logging miles, testing kit and trail snacks - stay tuned for training updates!

If you felt you could show your support for Craig, Eleri, and Jude with a donation to help them raise money for much needed Swift Water Rescue kit, it would be hugely appreciated. All donations will make a difference to the team, and those they are called out to help. Thank you!

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.