Reigate Teachers Climb Britain’s Three Highest Peaks For Charity

Reigate Teachers Climb Britain’s Three Highest Peaks For Charity

In the autumn, five adventurous and intrepid teachers from a school in Reigate left their sports fields and gym behind to climb the three highest peaks in Britain to raise much-needed money for charity.  The high-octane uphill charity challenge was completed in just 24 hours in memory of a sports scholar and popular pupil at the Surrey school who had passed away six years ago next month.

The fearless five – Elaine Bambridge, Nicola Grant, Simon Manning, David McColl and Elaine Pieters, all members of Dunottar School’s PE department, tackled the gruelling National Three Peaks Challenge.  The high-energy challenge sees participants with a head for heights ascend and descend Britain’s three highest peaks – Scotland’s Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike in England and the Welsh mountain, Snowdon in just 24 daunting hours.

The teacher’s after-school challenge was to raise money in memory of Clare Cooper, a Dunottar sports scholar who sadly and unexpectedly passed away in February 2013. Half of the money will be donated to Heal Kids, a charity supporting orphaned and disadvantaged children in South East Asia, which Clare had supported and Care for the Family, a national charity that helps provide support those who face family difficulties.

The latter charity, Care for the Family, which provides parenting, relationship and bereavement support holds a special significance as it helped support Clare’s grieving parents following Clare’s untimely death.
The charitable and athletic quintet raised a massive £1,570 for the two good causes which exceeded their initial goal of £1,000 and means more people will benefit from their mammoth mountain efforts.

PE teacher Elaine Pieters, who set up the fundraising page and who swapped sports fields for mountain passes, said of Clare Cooper: “Clare was an inspirational student and young lady who had a real love of life and people. We wanted to do something that was both challenging and active in her memory.’

“We walked the distance of a marathon, gained over 3,000m of elevation and 82,000 steps in 14 hours of walking, with 1,338 miles driven in the school mini bus! Despite the challenge being tougher than expected due to the turbulent weather, we are glad to have completed it” peak challenger Elaine added.

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Help The Fearless Five

Can you help the fearless five in their fundraising efforts? If you would like to donate to the fundraising efforts of Dunottar School’s PE department, visit: uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ElainePieters

For more information about Heal Kids, which is changing the lives of thousands of disabled and disadvantaged children in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, and elsewhere, visit: www.healkids.org/

For more information about Care for the Family, which provides parenting, relationship and bereavement support for families across the UK, visit: www.careforthefamily.org.uk/

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