On the first weekend of June, 10 staff, including editor John Meehan and his deputy Paul Hartley, will take on the Three Peaks Challenge. The team will attempt to reach the summits of the three highest peaks in Scotland, England and Wales in 24 hours.
(Members of the Mail team prepare for the Three Peaks Challenge, from left, John Meehan, Catherine Lea, Danny Longhorn, Ian Bond, Kate Dance and Kevin Shoesmith.)
They will be raising money for Dove House Hospice’s Love You 2 Appeal. The appeal – which is the Mail's charity of the year – aims to raise £2.5m for the hospice’s expansion, and the team of trekkers are hoping to be able to chip in to the tune of around £5,000.
Crime Reporter Adam Lovell, whose idea it was to attempt the challenge, said: “We are supporting the Love You 2 appeal across two years as part of the Mail’s 125th anniversary.
“We want to help create a lasting legacy and the Love You 2 appeal fits the bill perfectly. I’m looking forward to the challenge. We’ve got a great team and will really push ourselves to achieve our goal.”
Already sponsorship has been flooding in, with companies and individuals from across the region showing their support.
Sutton Fields-based Beerhouse Van Hire has donated a 17-seater minibus for the challenge. Peter Holmes Transport Ltd in Market Weighton, East Yorkshire, have provided a volunteer driver, Mark Lea, who will be responsible for transporting the team between each of the mountains. Mr Lea will be driving through the night as the walkers try to catch a few winks before their next ascent.
John Meehan said: “The support has been exceptional. I would like to thank everyone who has donated. Their contributions will spur us on during the arduous climbs.”
Other team members are: Design Editor Ian Bond, Retail Sales Development Manager Pete Barnatt, Business Editor Catherine Lea, Education Reporter Katie Knass, News Reporters Kevin Shoesmith and Danny Longhorn and Production Journalist Kate Dance.
The team will scale Ben Nevis (1,344m), Scafell Pike (978m) and Snowdon (1,085m), walking 22 miles. In total, they will travel almost 500 miles – all of it against the clock.
Keeley Knaggs, from Dove House in Chamberlain Road, east Hull, said: “The team from the Mail have taken on a tremendous challenge. We wish them the best of luck and want to thank the people who have sponsored them.”
Among the local companies who have sponsored the team are property developers Wykeland Group who donated £300. Coachman Caravans have handed over £250 and East Riding Training Solutions and Beverley Racecourse have both donated £100.
To sponsor the Mail’s team visit www.virginmoneygiving.com/hulldailymail3peaks
The Schedule
The Mail’s team will start the Three Peaks Challenge at 5pm on Saturday, June 4.
The five-mile journey to the summit of Ben Nevis on the west coast of Scotland will see them ascend more than 1,300m before returning the same way in four and a half hours.
By 10pm they will need to be back on the minibus and heading for Scafell Pike in the Lake District – a 250 mile, six-hour journey.
At 4am on Sunday, June 5, the team will begin the trek up Scafell Pike from Wasdale Head. The six-mile walk, ascending almost 1,000 metres, should be completed in about four and a half hours.
By 9am they will need to have set off on the 200-mile journey to Mount Snowdon in north Wales. If all goes to plan, the team will have four hours to get up and down the mountain – a distance of 6.5 miles – before the 5pm deadline.
