‘We smashed it!’ – Hungerford and Kintbury team complete Three Peaks Challenge

HIGH winds and torrential rain were battering the UK as a team of Hungerford and Kintbury footballers undertook the notorious Three Peaks Challenge.

Despite the weather, the team ‘Red Hot Chili Steppers’, conquered the challenge in less than 24 hours.

The players from both towns’ football clubs climbed the three highest peaks in the UK, Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon, to raise money for New Life Special Care Babies, a local charity that buys specialist life-saving equipment for neonatal units across the UK.

The team comprised Adam Allsop, Dave Prestoe, Mark Prestoe, Christian Quick, Harminder Chadda, Dan Hunter, James Collins, Gavin Harry, Matt Sturdivant and 'Geordie.'

Group leader Adam Allsop said afterwards: “We absolutely smashed it!

“This is something we can all be so proud of, as very few can say they achieved what we did.

“We were delighted to have had the opportunity to raise the money for such an amazing charity and hope our contribution will make a difference.”

New Life Founder and CEO Trevor Goodall said: “Their training regime was rigorous.

“These are fit guys but even they said the challenge was tough, particularly as they had to contend with gale-force winds and rain.

“They did a fantastic job scaling Scafell Pike in three-and-a-half hours during the night.”

The £6,000 they raised will help to buy specialist respirators for The Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading.

The charity works uniquely in that it liaises personally with neo-natal consultants across the country, taking their requests and sourcing the equipment they need, directly from the manufacturers.

Mr Goodall added: “The consultants with whom the charity works say they find this process invaluable because they can get the equipment they need within weeks rather than months.”

The Three Peaks Challenge is one of the most popular challenges in the UK where participants must climb the highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales.

It has also proved one of the most popular challenges over the past few years for teams wanting to fundraise for their chosen charity.