A team of five intrepid walkers have completed a 20-mile mountain challenge to raise funds for St Richard’s Hospice.
The team from Blackpole-based Onsite Central – pictured left to right: Mark Webb, Mark Hunt, James Sliwa, Steve Brown and Connor Jones – ended up completing 24 miles of Peak District mountain climbing in an amazing 8.5 hours.
Mark Hunt, Project Delivery Manager, said: “We arrived at Tittesworth Reservoir before 7am to sign in and get our kit checked by Edale Mountain Rescue. There was a slight debate on the suitability of Connor’s choice of footwear, but this was put to bed when we explained that over £600 had been raised already. After being given the go-ahead, we headed out in pursuit of the highest village in the UK.
“At 1518ft above sea level, the village of Flash is literally in the middle of nowhere. Constant rain didn’t dampen the team’s spirit, and a relentless barrage of banter seemed the order of the day. With no way markers or even an arrow to assist, map reading proved problematic at times. The odd grumble could be heard but otherwise the team embraced the more, shall I say, scenic route!
“The beautiful check-point stop at Three Shires Head proved the perfect place to have lunch and change socks etc. Knowing that we had passed the halfway point, morale was high as we cracked on to Danebridge.
“With the last check-point at the Roaches and the reservoir almost in sight, the sun appeared. The beauty of the Peak District was in its full glory for all to see. The aches and pains disappeared for a while as we walked along the ridge with at one stage, an ice cream in hand. We somehow managed to stumble across a Mr Whippy van in the middle of nowhere.
“24.1 miles was covered in what turned out to be a fantastic day. All the aches and pains were soon forgotten as the team tucked into the celebratory meal. The England game kicked off as we were travelling back, much to the delight of the team as they relaxed with a beer. This was not a walk in the park, there were a lot of steep, technical areas which could have given way to lots of moaning and groaning. Not Team Onsite, they smiled pretty much the whole way round.
“I chose St Richard’s Hospice as my charity for fundraising as it is not only a local charity to me, but also very close to my heart and I will never forget to support given to a very close friend of mine towards the end of his life.”
You can support the team via the Justgiving website
Mark Hunt is fundraising for St Richard’s Hospice Foundation (justgiving.com)