A NINE-year-old has completed the Three Peaks challenge to raise money for the charities that helped him after he became unwell on a previous hiking attempt.
Will Garrett, from Great Broughton, North Yorkshire has raised over £1,800 for the Keswick Mountain Rescue Team (KMRT) and Great North Air Ambulance (GNAAS) by climbing Snowdon, Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis with his father Dave Garratt, 45.
Will and his Dad attempted to climb Scafell Pike in April but they were airlifted to safety after Will’s condition deteriorated around five to ten minutes into their descent at 4am when they had been wild camping overnight.
However, despite two failed attempts due to illness and bad weather, Will was determined to conquer England’s tallest mountain, as well as also climbing Snowdon and Ben Nevis to raise money for KMRT and GNAAS.
The father and son summitted Snowdon with his older brother Tom, 26, on May 1 in just under four hours before a two-hour descent to camp.
His Dad, Dave said: “We decided on Snowdon for the first peak as Will was still a little nervous about wild camping after the incident at Sprinkling Tarn. Will loved Wales and said it was his favourite of all three of the peaks.”
The next peak was Scafell Pike, which his father described as his son’s nemesis.
They set off from Wasdale Head in good weather on July 24 and reached the summit by 5:30pm where they had planned to cook fresh.
Dave said: “It was hard work carrying his full equipment for overnight camping with people speeding past in shorts and trainers, but on reaching the summit, it was all worth it as we had a nice meal of pasta, meatballs and garlic bread in the shelter just down from the trig point.
Tom joined his Dad and Will on the seven hour climb on their final hike up to Ben Nevis.
In addition to the funds raised from the challenge, his school held an assembly and charity day which raised an additional £717.86 for GNAAS.
Will’s fundraising achievements were acknowledged by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who wrote to the nine-year-old who is inspired by Bear Grylls and Nimsdaj Purja.
“I’m super proud of Will and his determination throughout the challenge,” his Dad said.
“I gave Will a medal at the top of each peak and a badge for his GNAAS hoodie which he wears with pride.
“We are going to continue our expeditions over the coming years and try to summit all 214 Wainwrights in the Lake District.
If you are inspired by Will’s achievements and would like to donate towards his cause visit: https://www.justgiving.com/team/will-3peak
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