On Sunday, June 23rd, amidst the sweltering heat, over 200 walkers gathered to participate in the annual Francis House Cheshire Three Peaks Challenge at Tegg’s Nose Country Park in Macclesfield.
Francis House Children’s Hospice is a nonprofit organization that provides support to families of children and young people with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions. They offer respite care and a range of palliative care services from their base in Didsbury.
The challenging event saw participants covering up to 14 miles and facing several long, steep climbs. The humid weather added to the difficulty of the trek.
The longer route included climbs up Tegg’s Nose, Shutlingsloe, and Shining Tor, with a total ascent of 2828ft.
Among the participants were teams from various organizations such as barristers’ chambers Nine St John Street, architects BTP, professional services company Accenture, and packaging agency Pulse Media. Families, friend groups, and solo hikers also took part in the event.
The team from BTP Architects, along with their four-legged companions, raised over £730 in sponsorship for the cause. Emma Cross, Business Development Director at the firm, expressed their enjoyment in participating in the challenge and their pride in contributing to such a worthy cause.
Community Champions from several local Morrisons stores also came together to complete the challenge and raised over £400.
Solo walker Simon Sayers completed the 13.6-mile distance in an impressive time of 3 hours and 38 minutes.
Rachel Nasiri, fundraising officer for Francis House, shared her gratitude for the overwhelming support received from the community. “The Francis House Cheshire Three Peaks Challenge is a much-loved event, and this year, we saw a record-breaking number of walkers take part. We are thankful to everyone who gave up their Sunday to hike the Cheshire hills and help us raise funds for our care team to support vulnerable children and their families. It was a fantastic day, and we were thrilled to present everyone with their certificates as they returned tired but triumphant to the finish line.”
The largest team of the day was from Lucchini Unipart Rail, with 22 walkers participating in the challenge.
A group of nine teenagers from Wilmslow also took part in the event in memory of their friend Amber, and together they raised an incredible £3,943. One of the participants, Ruby Kalayil Peacock, described the event as a “real accomplishment” and expressed her happiness in knowing that they were supporting such a noble cause.
The event is expected to raise over £15,000 in vital funds for the hospice. To learn more about Francis House and participate in upcoming events, visit their website at www.francishouse.org.uk/get-involved/events.
Derick is an experienced reporter having held multiple senior roles for large publishers across Europe. Specialist subjects include small business and financial emerging markets.