A Southend teacher and a pub manager have climbed three mountains in one day to raise money for children fighting cancer.
Sarah Duggans, a teacher at Hamstel School, and Rebecca Williams, assistant manager at the Exchange pub, took on the Three Peaks Challenge.
They climbed Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike, and Mount Snowdon in just 24 hours, raising £3,000 for the south Essex charity Gold Geese.
The charity provides practical and emotional support to families of children and young people fighting cancer in the Southend and Basildon areas.
The pair chose to take on the challenge as Gold Geese has supported two families that they know.
Rebecca said: "It was the hardest mental and physical challenge that I have ever done. But it is nothing compared to how hard it is for families dealing with cancer.
"Ben Nevis is a beast of a mountain, and the first 45 minutes is dubbed ‘heart attack hill’.
"It is gruelling and so tough, climbing that and then getting straight on the bus to travel to the Lake District to scale Scafell Pike.
"There was only an hour of daylight left so it meant the ascent and descent was in complete darkness. We had to dig deep on that one.
"Then we had another four hours travelling and it was time to put the boots back on to climb mountain number three, Mount Snowdon.
"I had nothing left in the tank, and it was tough, but we got our heads down and cracked on reaching the summit in 2 hrs 30 mins to complete the challenge.
"We both feel a massive sense of achievement and people have been so kind.
"Lots donated whilst we were up in the mountains, and we are so glad to have raised so much for Gold Geese. But I don’t ever want to see another mountain again."
Sarah added: "The Three Peaks challenge was an incredible adventure and the toughest mental and physical challenge I have ever undertaken.
"We were pushed to our limits on the mountains and there were moments of wanting to give up but knowing this would never happen.
"We met some lovely people, saw beautiful scenery and most importantly raised money for fantastic Gold Geese - it made every step worth it."
For more information about the charity or to learn the signs and symptoms of childhood cancer, visit goldgeese.org.
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