On the 9th June a group from Grange Leisure Centre in Swindon will be headed to Mt Snowdon in Wales aiming to raise awareness as much as funding for MIND Charity. Many in the group have had first hand experiences with mental health and also the excursion acts as a bit of a reunion as many took part in a similar trip to Ben Nevis in Scotland last year.
This year however is a little different as Bec Connolly will be taking the whole family along, which is 12 year old Gracie-Audrey, 11 year old Eaddie-Summer, Jimmie who is 7 and Reggie who is 6, all of whom will be attempting the 3720ft summit to help further the cause and raise money for MIND.
Bec says that she is hoping that this will literally be a ‘walk in the park’ for the children as they are already very good hikers and climbers.
Only last year they undertook a World Record attempt, when Reggie was just 5 yrs old, by climbing Mt. Toubkal in the Atlas Mountains of North Africa. This is the highest point on the north of the continent standing at 13’665ft and by no means an easy climb by anyones standards and especially not for those so young. Team Connolly made it to just short of the summit by 365 metres when Reggie succumbed to altitude sickness and the party had to rapidly descend. They are still the record holders for the youngest people to make it to that altitude on the mountain but obviously celebrating altogether at the top of the mountain would have been a better experience.
Bec says, “I cant wait for the children to stand on top of Snowdon and know what its like to reach the top. They deserve that. Their 12,468 metre climb was nothing short of heroic given their ages and I was and remain so incredibly proud of them.”
“There was never a chance that the others would continue after Reggie got sick. We start together, we finished together. He did so incredibly well to get that far. The guide that we had was beyond fabulous when he got sick. He had Reggie up under his arm and was descending down the mountain at a rate I couldn’t hope to match with the other children, just 100metres lower and his heart rate was back to normal and he was well again by the time we had reached him. At that point, had he been an adult we probably would have rested and attempted the summit again but as he was only 5 years old at the time there was no way, especially with the limited research done on the effects of altitude on children, that I would risk that. Whilst I want them to have the most amazing adventures and memories, and whilst I so wanted them to complete their world record attempt, especially so close after 55 hrs climbing, I also want them to be safe and well whilst doing so.”
“To be honest everyone we met thought we were absolutely crazy for even attempting it, particularly in December when temperatures can reach minus-20 degrees and there is ice and thick snow on the mountain side. However, I know what my children are made of and I had every confidence in their determination to see the challenge through. I have taken the children with me everywhere since day one and am used to being alone backpacking with them, so I knew that they would be more than ready for this adventure too. Lots of guides refused to take us because of the danger but I found one great guy who absolutely shared my passion and he worked brilliantly, especially with the boys talking them through the tough bits when we were all exhausted.”
“He really inspired them to keep going and made it fun for them all. However, even he had not realised just what Team Connolly would be able to do and as when we reached the Refuge at the end of the first day, the point where people rest before attempting the summit, no one had expected us to get this far. They had never seen children at the Refuge, ever and found it very amusing. The kids quickly made friends in the dark and the groups of climbers from all over the world quickly forfeited their Poker games and beers to play card games of ‘memory’ and ‘snap’ with the kids till we were ready at 3 am to make the summit attempt.”
“It was at that point in the dark, whilst traversing some difficult rocks covered in ice that I thought that maybe I might have made a mistake and was perhaps putting them in danger (even a dropped glove in that temperature can quickly escalate into an emergency- and getting for children fitted out in the dark in skins, thermals, ski gear, sallopetes fleeces, socks, gloves, boots, torches and the like was no easy task) but thankfully it was just me having doubts! The kids, on the other hand, were having a great time figuring out how to do everything in the dark. They said the stars looked like they were close enough to touch, like we were in a fantasy movie. It really was a breathtaking moment. When the sun came up the enormity of what we were doing and had managed so far hit me, but the kids just kept on going.
It was so very unfortunate Reggie got altitude sickness so close to the top and finish of the challange as he so wanted to carry on. And despite us not quite making it there, I was still so incredibly proud of them all. We will definitely be going back to make the summit of Mt Toubkal one day but I would like Reggie to be a couple of years older to give him a much better chance and for now we are happy to be headed to Wales to take on the challenge of reaching the summit of Snowdon as a team and a family.
You can find out more about the Grange Liesure Mount Snowdon Charity Challenge and also donate to their fundraising for Swindon MIND here.
