Pals climb Three Peaks for Severn Hospice in memory of friends
Five kind-hearted pals scaled the highest peaks of England, Wales and Scotland to raise money in memory of their friends.
Adam Harris, Ryan Tisdale, Michael Farrall, Duncan Farrall and Ziggy Hughes did the Three Peaks Challenge and have so far raised more than £6,000 for Severn Hospice – triple their £2,000 target.
The group took on the challenge in memory of Abby Francis and Darren Lloyd, who died last year. The pair received specialist care at the hospice last year.
The national challenge involves climbing Ben Nevis in Scotland, Scafell Pike in the Lake District, England and Snowdon in Wales. The group completed the emotional journey in under 21 hours.
Electrician Michael, who shared the friends’ fundraising marathon on social media, told everyone following their trip: “National Three Peaks completed in memory of our two beautiful friends Abby and Darren.
“We set off early Thursday morning at 5.47am and finished at 2.24am Friday morning giving us a completion time of around 20 hours 37 minutes which we’re all absolutely over the moon with.
“We know that they were both looking down on us every step of the way especially on our last ascent which turned out to be our most difficult climb; a third of the way in, thick fog descended making navigating the mountain very difficult. What an emotional 24 hours!”
Incredible
Michael added: “We would all like to thank each and every person for their support all the way through, it’s been truly incredible, and we hope we’ve done Abby, Darren and their families proud.”
Lucy Francis, Abby’s sister and Darren’s friend, said: “No one should have to go through the pain and heartache we have in losing a loved one so young, who had their whole life ahead of them; this is something that we as a family will never get over but having the support from the hospice helped us through that horrific time.”
Hannah Gamston, Severn Hospice area fundraiser, said: “We can’t thank the lads enough for taking on this mammoth challenge, completing it with hours to spare and raising an incredible amount for us in memory of Abby and Darren.
“Events organised by our supporters mean so much, particularly as we’re temporarily not able to host our own due to the pandemic. We have to raise £2 for every £3 we spend on care so every contribution makes a difference.
“If anyone’s been inspired by the lads’ exploits and is thinking of organising a fundraiser for us, just get in touch and we can help with advice and support."
To contact the hospice fundraising team email fundraising@severnhospice.org.uk and to support the group, visit their JustGiving page at justgiving.com/fundraising/adam-harris43
