A TEAM from Wincanton is preparing to tackle one of the toughest challenges in the UK to raise money for Swindon cancer charity CALM.

All based at the firm’s Swindon distribution centre, Ade Williams, Dave Price, Neil and Julie Irvine, Nicholas Atteridge-Tyrrell and Stewart Johnson will start their endurance feat at the foot of Ben Nevis at 6pm on June 24.

They aim to be at the bottom of Snowdon 24 hours later, having climbed the highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales - a challenge that involves 10,000ft of ascent, 27 miles of hiking and 475 miles driving.

Ade Williams is the only member of the team to have done the Three Peaks challenge in the past. He did it in 2011.

He said: “This challenge is something we are all taking very seriously as it is just as much about mental strength as physical strength. Speaking from experience, it is one of the most memorable things you can do, certainly in the UK and I for one, am really looking forward to it.”

General manager of the distribution centre Dave Price is an experienced marathon runner and a veteran of the Manx Mountain Marathon.

Neil and Julie Irvine had decided to walk 80 miles of the South West Coastal Path in July and Mount Esja in Iceland in November when they accepted the Three Peaks challenge. Nicholas Atteridge-Tyrrell grew up in South Africa and spent many nights in the wilds, sleeping by a campfire under the stars.

“I think that there is no better way to connect or reconnect with yourself and the universe than by getting back into nature,” he said.

It is the first time Stewart Johnson has attempted anything like it. “Just thinking of the mountains involved and the height makes my legs wobble, but I am determined to do it for the CALM charity and for myself.”

CALM is a parent-run charity that supports families of children in the Swindon area who are being treated for cancer or leukaemia.

To sponsor the Wincanton team visit 3peaks2016.co.uk