8th June 2007

When the opportunity arose for Cluttons to sponsor a team of girls to take part in the 24 Hour Three Peaks Challenge and raise money for charity, I thought it could be good fun. After all, it was only walking.

I was also very keen to support CRY as one of our nominated charities following the sudden death of my best friend, Kim Wheating, from an Arrhythmia.

Kim and I had climbed Scafel Pike when we were nineteen. It therefore seemed a suitable challenge to undertake – albeit twenty five years later and my being twenty years older than the rest of the team!

In fact I did not recognise any of the Scafel Pike climb but that might have been due to the fact that it was midnight by the time we got to the top!!

When we started the challenge at the bottom of Ben Nevis at 9.12am on Saturday, the team of 7 were apprehensive and I had not quite realised that mountains were so high!!

At Kim’s funeral, her daughters read Helen Steiner Rice’s moving poem that included the words:

Feed not your loneliness on empty days,
But fill each waking hour in useful ways,
Reach out your hand in comfort and in cheer
And I in turn will comfort you and hold you near;

And never, never be afraid to die
For I am waiting for you in the sky!

I was certainly filling each waking hour and on reaching three of the highest points in the United Kingdom I did feel nearer to my dear friend and it may have been this uplifting feeling that that enabled me to achieve our challenge.

We all completed the task at 9.10am on Sunday, some 23 hours and 58 minutes later and with only two minutes to spare. In total, we have managed to give CRY £3770.

Philippa Railing