Why I’m doing the NDCS 3 Peaks Challenge

10k? Been there, done that. Half-marathon? Ditto. Marathon. Easy-peasy. I’ve now signed up to a new challenge – the 3 Peaks challenge! In July, I’ll be climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon in 24 hours as part of a fool-hardy team of 5 walkers and 2 drivers.

And we’re doing it for deaf children. Not because there’s a group of them stranded up there but because the National Deaf Children’s Society is a charity we all want to support. 6 out of 7 of us are deaf and we all have some connection with National Deaf Children’s Society – either as a volunteer or through work. In my case, both.

I’m doing it because my parents probably didn’t get the support and impartial advice they needed when my sister and I were growing up, and I know that many others even now still don’t. And because I get to see first hand the difference NDCS makes at events for deaf children and young people, as witnessed by my last blog. And because I think it’s a bloody outrage that deaf children are 42% less likely to do as well in their GCSEs than other children.

At some point, I’m probably going to have to ramp up my training strategy so that it involves more than just walking up the inclined moving walkway at Bank tube station. But, for now, the main focus is fundraising. My team’s goal is to raise £5,000 and we’ve raised nearly one fifths of that so far on our special Just Giving.com page.

In the hope of raising loadsmoremoney, I’ve arranged a fundraising pub quiz tonight and have spent much of the past week thinking up a mix of easy and difficult questions, and sorting a few special rounds. One of them involves my special childhood friend, Mr. Monkey, who’s recently been sightseeing all over London for a special photo round for tonight. I’m really looking forward to it – a fun way to make money and hopefully, everyone will have a good time too.

I’ll blog again soon with details of how the evening went, and look out for more blogs in coming weeks on our fundraising and training running up to the actual 3 Peaks Challenge.

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