Hospice given almost £3,000 after Freemasons endure misery in the mist

When most of the UK was sweltering in a heatwave a team of four #Freemasons and one of their sons battled through driving rain, mist and 50-mile-an-hour winds to conquer the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge and raise almost £3,000 for Lindsey Lodge Hospice in Scunthorpe.

The team was led by Jim Brown, who takes up the story: “The wind and mist meant we had poor visibility for most of the day. That wind drove the rain everywhere and we were soaked through after the second peak. Waterproofs on or off, it didn’t really matter but at least they reduced the wind chill.

Soggy but undaunted: from left, Steve, Jim, Benjamin, Phil, and Mark.

It was a tough slog. I was cold, wet, exhausted  and hungry.  Did I enjoy it? No, not at the time! Will I do it again? – No. Was it worth it? – Definitely!”

Jim was walking with fellow Freemasons Phil Coxon, Mark Wilkinson, Steve Martin and Jim’s son Benjamin. Apart from Benjamin they’re members of Gainsborough-based Gainas and Yarborough Lodges. They’d been inspired to take on the challenge in memory of Phil’s wife Angela, who passed away in the hospice in February this year. Their effort was worth it because the Hospice needs to raise £5m a year to keep its services running. Said Fundraising Co-ordinator Selina Doyle: “Donations like this one of £2,964.87p really do make a difference. We rely on fundraisers like these guys to keep our doors open.”

Jim described the journey: “Pen Y Ghent was first – a gentle climb and scramble towards the top.

“Whernside never seemed to stop getting higher. There was no view as the cloud cover came in, and then fierce winds and driving rain at the top followed by large slippery steep rocks on the descent. My knee went twang at this point. It was my first time hiking with sticks –  they worked great, though the three of us with sticks had wrinkly bath fingers at the end of the day!

“Ingleborough just kept getting steeper, to the point that steps were sometimes almost knee height. I had to stop several times to get my breath back. My feet were sloshing around in water in my ‘waterproof’ Gortex boots.

“My waterproofs were soaked inside & out and visibility was poor at the top – we could see only 20 metres. The top of Ingleborough is flat and covered with rocks, so unlike most of the route there’s no visible path. We could hear people shouting in the fog that they’d found the final trigpoint, so we walked and stumbled blindly in the vicious wind towards the noises to find the last one.

“The day’s rain meant the final five-mile track down turned into a stream, which we stomped, swam and fell down in a rush to the pub at the end. The cold wet wind blew stinging rain into my right eye so that was shut. My glasses were in my pocket as they kept fogging up so visibility out of one blurry eye was poor to say the least. Cold, wet, tired and fantasising about steak and ale pie, we eventually reached the pub at the end. We all said that those last five miles felt like the longest five miles we’ve walked –  they must have been special Yorkshire miles!”

“Thanks to everyone for their donations –  there’s a link here with more information.”

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