We mentioned it yesterday so we thought we would tell you more about it today! In September of this year 21 brave staff members (…did I say brave I meant crazy) are taking on the National 3 Peaks Challenge where they will climb the 3 highest peaks in the UK – Ben Nevis in Scotland (1345 metres), Scafell Pike in England (978 metres) and Snowdon in Wales (1085 metres) and including the travel in between each mountain will complete this all within 24 hours.
Why you may ask??? Well all for the purpose of this great charity. Each member will be raising money for the YMCA’s Bursary Scheme which helps provide children access to opportunities normally beyond their reach. Their starting target is to raise £3150 which will enable 100 children to experience and enjoy at day at a YMCA Daycamps. Everyone has their own motivation but this is why they have come together.
Training has begun in earnest as some of the group are doing a 100k walk across the South Downs as their warm up in July! We would like to wish everyone the very best of luck. Here are some pictures of their training walks and we think they look quite sprightly!
We wanted to share with you some stories and feedback from some of those that have benefited from our Bursary scheme- this is Tom’s Story:
Tom is 10 years old, the eldest of three children – and a young carer on behalf of his younger siblings and his mother. Tom’s responsibilities at home have impacted upon his school life, where his worries about his family life influence negative behaviours. Despite his struggles, Tom has always been an active and playful boy, whose bursary referrers felt as though he would benefit from the opportunity to mix with other children his own age, and gain some valuable respite from his caring responsibilities at home. During Tom’s week spent at our YMCA Portsmouth Daycamps, his mum noticed how he’d get himself up and ready entirely independently. He made new friends, and even reconciled with a boy he knew from school – someone he did not previously get along with. Whilst at Daycamps, Tom tried swimming, and even had the confidence to take off his armbands and swim, unaided, in the deep-end. Every day, Tom came home and excitedly told him mum about the experiences he’d had that day. ‘Having the confidence to go into a new situation and mix with unfamiliar people really took Tom out of his comfort zone,’ his mum told us. ‘The experience really benefitted him – and I’m hoping now to save up so as I can send him to Daycamps again in October.’
Tom's Story
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