Burnley brothers' rivalry spurs them on to complete infamous Three Peaks Challenge

A playful sibling rivalry between two Burnley brothers has escalated to the point where both decided to tackle the infamous Three Peaks Challenge, raising over £450 for Derian House Children’s Hospice.
Playful sibling rivalry between Ben Wadeson and his brother, Danny, has resulted in over 450 being raised for local childrens hospice, Derians House.Playful sibling rivalry between Ben Wadeson and his brother, Danny, has resulted in over 450 being raised for local childrens hospice, Derians House.
Playful sibling rivalry between Ben Wadeson and his brother, Danny, has resulted in over 450 being raised for local childrens hospice, Derians House.

Tackling the largest mountains in England (Scafell Pike), Wales (Snowdon), and Scotland (Ben Nevis), brothers Ben and Danny Wadeson completed the challenge alongside their father, retired fireman Ken.

Spurred on by their desire to raise as much money for Derian House, a respite and end-of-life care facility which works with more than 400 children and young people across the North West, the trio completed the challenge - which involved over 3,400m of climbing - in scorching weather.

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“There was a heatwave on the Friday, it was a balmy 30 degrees when we reached the foot of Ben Nevis at 7pm, reaching the summit at around 11pm, taking a moment to soak in the stunning views along the way," said Ben, a national account manager at What More UK. "We saw sunrise at Scafell Pike in Seascale after a six-hour long car journey – though slightly cooler, it was a much steeper ascent and definitely more demanding than the first peak!

"I found it the toughest terrain out of the three, but we managed to complete it before driving four more hours to the beautiful mountain that is Snowden," he added.

Danny flew to the UK from Washington DC specially to take part in the challenge and said that by the time they had reached the third peak, exhaustion and fatigue was starting to set in. “The third peak was testing – we’d been awake for a long time and our legs were starting to ache from the first two peaks," he explained. "But we knew we had to fight through it for the children we were raising money for.

"It was important for us to finish," Danny added. "A cloudier atmosphere on Snowden meant the views were completely obscured so we had to use head torches on our descent. I have a new found respect for people who climb these peaks either individually or collectively. The real positive was being able to raise money for a worthwhile local charity, Derian’s House.

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"Spending quality time with my brother and dad, a rarity with me now living in America, was also really special – the sibling rivalry and wanting to beat my brother definitely gave us the motivation to push through!”

For more info on Derian’s House, head to www.derianhouse.co.uk.

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