Mountains of help (From Penarth Times)

Mountains of help

A PENARTH man has raised £450 for local children after conquering the three tallest peaks in Scotland, England and Wales in just 24 hours.

Hugh Cherrill, of Westbourne Road, took part in The Three Peaks Challenge as a member of the 'Welsh Leeks' team, in aid of Penarth's St Briavels Centre for Child Development.

The challenge involved climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon. Mr Cherrill and his team took the longest of the various routes up the mountains, meaning they had to cover 30 miles and 3000 metres in the day.

To avoid too much walking in the dark, they started Ben Nevis at 4pm. It took five hours to get to the snowfield at the top, after which they headed off to Cumbria in a minibus, attempting to sleep between 11pm and 2am.

A farmer's dairy herd meant they lost an hour waiting to start Scafell Pike. They eventually set off at 3.30am, using torches to light the way.

Mr Cherrill said: "Scafell was hard work. The path was tough walking and one of our team was forced to give up because of his painful knees."

But they got to the summit, before returning for a four-and-a-half hour drive. He said: "Levels of personal hygiene had deteriorated and the minibus seemed to be full of wet, strongly-odoured boots, socks and waterproofs, not to mention sweaty bodies highly in need of a wash."

They soon arrived at Snowdonia.

Mr Cherrill added: "Although not as challenging as the two other mountains, it was a long climb up and the steeper parts were hard work for my dreadfully tired legs." They completed the challenge in 25 hours, which includes the one hour lost.

He said: "Perhaps we'll do better on Europe's peaks next year. Many thanks to all who sponsored my efforts."