Chafing the Dream take on the Three Peaks
5 ladies from Ludgershall Preschool came together to raise vital funds for Naomi House & Jacksplace. After deciding their all-important name, Chafing the dream, they took on the tough Three Peaks Challenge. Read on to find out how their challenge went.
Our journey really began in March 2019 when we had to say a heart-breaking goodbye to one of our children whom attended the setting. Through this difficult time we as staff found comfort that both our treasured child and their family were expertly cared for by Naomi House. We soon became passionate about raising funds so other children and families could continue to receive end of life care and support.
Now we had the motivation and the willing participants, all we were lacking was “what on earth can 5 women do to raise as much money as possible?”. Well we have mastered reciting “the tiger that can to tea” in our sleep and we’re experts at being able to turn any experience into a learning opportunity, but that didn’t quite cut it. In October 2020 we came up with the idea of completing the epic National 3 Peaks challenge. An adventure that would see us climb the highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales, all one after the other, in 24 hours and a total walking distance of 26 miles and a vertical accent of 3,000 meters. Can’t be that hard right?
All we needed now was 2 willing drivers to join our team, luckily enough, without hesitation, our chairman Steve Smith and Karen’s husband, Dave Thomson signed up for the ride. So as we saw the new year in, we set a date and created a just giving page, immediately friends and family began to part with their well earned cash to support both us and Naomi House. This inspired us to begin training every weekend from February. We put our walking boots on and grabbed our walking poles and headed out to any hills we could find, embarking on regularly walking 17-20 miles and brushing up on our navigation skills.
Time certainly flew and suddenly were at the end of term and our forthcoming challenge looming. At this point we had already raised just under £2000 and we were determined to see this through to thank everyone of our supporters.
With our bags packed and mini bus loaded, we set off for Scotland. Not everything was on our side, a hefty traffic jam set us back 5 hours and the unheard Scottish weather saw temperate a of 25 degrees. Nevertheless, we embarked on our journey and it became apparent very quickly that no amount of previous training prepared us for the climbed ahead.
There were definite times where all 5 of us had to dig very deep, however at these times we were soured on by complete strangers stopping us, asking us about our chosen charity and donating cash all along the way. There really are some special people out there and without the donation pot continuing to rise, I think we would have thrown in the towel.
All three peaks were completed in a total time of 25 hrs and 17 mins. Wow what an achievement, something that will stay with the team forever. It’s safe to say it was as equally awful as it was awesome. But would we undertake such a challenge again?… absolutely!!
In total these amazing ladies raised a terrific £2,594 (without gift aid). From everyone at Naomi House & Jacksplace we would like to say a huge thank you for supporting our hospices.