Blackpool fundraisers fall short of Three Peak Challenge - but raise £17k for Brian House

The 20 friends planned to climb Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon over 24 hours and they set off on Saturday morning full of optimism, as part of challenge to raise funds for Brian House Children’s Hospice in Bispham.

They successfully scaled Ben Nevis (1,345 metres above sea level), which is Scotland and Britain’s highest mountain, and then climbed England’s highest peak, Scafell Pike (978 metres).

But as they were travelling through the Lake District on their way to Snowdon in Wales, they were hit by a double disaster on the vehicle front.

First one of their vehicles, a Transit van, had a puncture, but there was no jack in the vehicle in order for them to fix it.

After a rescue mission by the AA, the van’s engine began to play up and they couldn’t continue in it.

Unbelievably, a smaller group attempting to drive down in a second vehicle were then halted when that ran into engine trouble as well, after the oil light came on.

However, despite the disappointment, the team have proved a major hit on the fundraising front, so far raising more than £17,000 for Brian House and smashing last year’s total by almost £6,000.

Some of the lads were close to Jordan Banks’ parents and took part in the trek as a tribute to him.

Jordan, a Stanley Primary School pupil who played for Clifton Rangers JFC, was struck by lightning during a one-to-one coaching session on the Common Edge playing fields on Tuesday, May 11 last year.

He was taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital but tragically died.

Joel Chappell, 37, of Watson Road, South Shore, a pal of Jordan’s mum and stepfather, Danielle and Dan Begg, said of the challenge: "We all feel deflated because we had been planning it for months and to fail to climb all three is so disappointing.

"The way we failed is the worst part of it.

"What we are happy about is the amount we’ve raised and we’d just like to thank everyone who helped us, in all sorts of ways.”

To donate, visit the funding page at https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/joel-chappell-3?utm_term