Courageous colleague, Training Officer Jamie-Leigh Dickson has shared her thanks to everyone who donated ahead of her recently completed Three Peaks hillwalking challenge in memory of her late sister-in-law…
Jamie-Leigh shares: “My fiancé Daniel and I just want to take a moment to express our deepest gratitude for everyone’s generous support for our fundraiser.
“Whether you donated, shared our cause, or cheered from the side lines, please know how much it really means to us. Thanks to your kindness we managed to smash our target of £1,000! From the bottom of our hearts thank you.” 💗
The courageous couple took on the challenge on Thursday 28 August to raise money for Willow – a charity close to their hearts.
Jamie-Leigh explains: “Sadly, my sister-in-law Kirsty passed away 8 years ago due to skin cancer. In her final months, the Willow Foundation took the family on holiday to a lodge to make final lasting memories which was so special and meant the world to us.
“Each year as a family we fundraise to give something back to Willow as a thank you as we know how important it was for us as a family. We hope that the funds will be able to help other families to have the same special days away from it all when times are tough.”
Jamie-Leigh and Daniel managed to keep each other going through the challenge. She reflects: “It was very emotional for us both completing the Three Peaks Challenge and we shed a few tears along the way, that’s for sure!
“We had powerful conversations between us when we were struggling but this 24-hour challenge is nothing compared to the pain Kirsty went through when she was here. Putting it into perspective like that pushed us when we needed it.”
Jamie-Leigh and Daniel managed to complete the challenge in an incredible 23 hours and 53 minutes which is amazing! They set off at 8:15am on Thursday, and were pushed to their limits with challenging weather conditions from the minute the challenge began at Snowdon (Wales) with torrential rain.
Jamie-Leigh added: “The most challenging part for us both was the driving between each mountain which we split in between, starting in Wales, then the Lake District and finally Scotland’s Ben Nevis, we did struggle at times when tiredness kicked in, but we did it and we couldn’t be prouder!
“Climbing Ben Nevis in the pitch black at 2:30am on Friday morning was difficult however seeing the sunrise on the way back down was definitely our highlight of the challenge!”
It is still possible to make a donation following Jamie-Leigh and Daniel’s hillwalking challenge via the Just Giving website.
All of the funds go to the Willow Foundation – the only UK charity supporting seriously ill 16 to 40 year olds by providing unique and positive Special Days. Since 1999, Willow has fulfilled more than 22,000 Special Days for young adults living with life-threatening conditions. Find out more about the charity on The Willow Foundation website.
The National Three Peaks Challenge is one of the UK’s most popular hillwalking challenges. It involves climbing the highest mountains in Scotland (Ben Nevis), the Lake District’s Skafell Mountain (England) and Snowdon (Wales).