An intrepid team from Barnsley’s Cranswick Foods have conquered the highest peaks in England, Scotland and Wales in under 24 hours to raise funds for Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice.

The colleagues, dubbed the Cranswick Seven, scaled Snowden in Wales, Scafell Pike in England and Ben Nevis in Scotland – and even had 50 minutes to spare in their 24 hour target!

Their Herculean efforts made all the more impressive considering they only had a month to train for the  challenge.

The team, organised by Vitalijus Kostiuk, have raised over £2,000 for the charity, smashing their £1,200 target.

“Our first was Ben Nevis which we found relatively easy with our fresh legs and high spirits, despite getting a bit of unexpected snow towards the end,” said Vitalijus, 35, from Ollerton.

“Then we headed down to Scafell Pike and set off at 2.30am which was very interesting! None of us had ever trekked at night before so it was tough, and some of us started to question what we were doing. But we made it, and the glorious sunrise was our reward.

“Snowden was great but after taking a different route, we were worried we weren’t going to make it in time so we ended up jogging to the finish line.

“The sense of achievement was fantastic. People were crying and hugging each other and I just laid on the floor taking it all in.”

Vitalijus said the colleagues from Cranswick Foods, Valley Park had a unique method of getting in shape.

“Our department at Cranswick can be very busy and sometimes we do 20,000 steps a day, so our work has definitely prepared us for it,” he added.

“We’re all of a reasonable fitness but it was certainly tough at times. Our driver throughout was knowing that we were doing it for such a fantastic local cause. It really did push us forward and emphasise that sense of satisfaction at the end.”

For those who’d like to follow in the Cranswick Seven’s footsteps, but think the UK’s highest peaks might be a stretch too far, Bluebell Wood has its very own Yorkshire version of the event coming this September.

Bluebell Wood’s Yorkshire Three Peak challenge takes in the dizzy heights of Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough, covering 24 miles in the process.  The aim is to conquer all three peaks in under 12 hours, making it the perfect opportunity to gather friends, family or colleagues for a team-building day out.

You can sign up here

Jason Gossop, Regional Fundraiser at Bluebell Wood, said: “We’d like to say a huge thank you to the Cranswick Seven for their grit, hard work and determination.

“It really is a remarkable achievement, and the team should all be incredibly proud of themselves.

“The funds raised will help us make precious memories with children and families who sadly don’t know how long they have with one another.”

The Cranwicks Seven are Vitalijus Kostiuk, Cici Bosca, Matthew Cooper, Krisstian Handley, Zbigniew Cimochowski, Peter Harper and Ania Kotowska, and were ably assisted by driver Eddie Zak Dingle Harper.