The Challenge

James Atkinson, Simon Jones and Jeff Johnston are taking on the National Three peaks challenge but with a twist. Rather than just climbing the 26 miles and 10000 ft of elevation ,up and down Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon, then taking the easy route by driving between the peaks, James, Simon and Jeff have decided to make it a lot tougher by cycling between the peaks. This adds up to approximately 450 miles of cycling and another 20000 ft of elevation ! They plan to complete the challenge in under 72 hours starting on 17th May.

The team are undertaking this challenge to raise money for the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund, Wirral Hospice St Johns and MIND. The challenge is entirely self funded and all the money raised will be split equally between the Charities.

The Story

James' brother Simon, sadly died almost 4 years ago in July 2019 after a valiant battle against Pancreatic Cancer. Simon and his family were supported by the excellent Wirral Hospice with palliative care. Losing a loved one can have a devastating effect on family and friends and MIND are always there with a helping hand working tirelessly to help individuals to stay well during difficult times.

Shortly after Simon passed away, James ran 100 miles in 24 hours from Bebington ( where Simon and James were born) to Abersoch (Simon's favourite place) to raise money for the above Charities. Now almost 4 years later, he is back with the help of two of Simon's friends to raise more money.

James -"Nearly 4 years has passed since we lost Simon, and we still miss him, especially his 'RANTINGS' . He would of loved these last few years of Brexit, the Covid pandemic and not to mention Liz Truss's short but explosive tenure- I can hear him now!
I think he would be proud of the Charities we have picked, so this is our tribute to my brother ' Simon 5th Earl of Bebington'

Jeffers " I'm doing this challenge in memory of Simon Atkinson to ensure the legacy of the Earl of Bebington lives on and we raise lots of money for great Charities that have supported Simon and his family when they needed it most."

Simon" Although this will be a significant challenge to us it is nothing compared to that faced by Simon and his family and those many others that find themselves in need of the support and care provided by the Charities we are raising money for.

The Charities

The Pancreatic Research Fund (PRF)
Pancreatic Cancer is the 10th most common cancer but the fifth most deadly with around 10000 deaths per annum attributed to the disease. Most striking is the fact that the number of people who survive 5 years or more has not increased significantly since the 1970s. The PRF was founded in 2004 and has supported research projects with grants totalling over £14m -all through fundraising and donations

Wirral Hospice St Johns -was established over 40 years ago and was built on providing a haven where people with predominantly cancer could be given the most compassionate care and support to live out their final days as comfortably and pain free as possible.

MIND-Amongst many other things MIND support people likely to develop mental health problems, to stay well and empower people who experience a mental health problem to make informed choices about how they live and recover.