Locals raise over £10,000 hiking from Handforth to Snowdon summit

A group of locals walked from Handforth to the summit of Snowdon recently to raise money for Alzheimer's Society.

The team of ten, from Handforth, Wilmslow and Macclesfield set off from Handforth on Saturday, 1st of April, to complete the 96 mile hike - reaching the summit on Friday, 7th April.

Ranging in age from 19 to 63, they were joined by former Handforth resident Barry Toole who travelled from Germany to take part.

Speaking about taking on the challenge, Tim Marshall said "The idea was born in the pub (like most good ideas) and began with just hiking Snowdon itself. But we wanted to do something more challenging and locally oriented, hence Handforth to Snowdon summit. On a personal level this was a challenge for ourselves to push our boundaries and test us."

So far the team, several of whom had relatives affected by dementia, have raised over £10,000 for Alzheimer's Society.

Tim added "The experience was amazing. Some of us literally met for the first time on Saturday 1st, in the Paddock, Handforth. Within a few hours we were a team with a common goal. We all supported each other and pushed each other step by step. There were moments when everyone found it hard, some people with big blisters others with nasty ankle, knee and back pains. But we were all there for each other.

"We didn't advertise our course particularly well on route and some of the most heartwarming stories arose from random strangers who took the time to talk to us about where we were going and then chose to support us! Overall there was a lot of pain and discomfort, but more laughs, banter and support. It was well worth it. We had some amazing views you would otherwise miss in a car and slowed life right down. Topped off by doubling our goal of 5k and raising over 10k for Alzheimers Society."

If you would like to support the team's efforts you can donate to Alzheimers Society via their JustGiving page.