Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. 

This fundraiser is part of a wider programme of fundraising activity in aid of the Community Foundation of Staffordshire that everyone who is part of the small but totally amazing team at Heaward Solutions has committed to supporting in 2022. Our goal is to raise at least £1,000 for this fantastic charity this year. 

Starting at a young age I have loved the outdoors and I grew up spending a huge amount of time walking on Dartmoor and across the UKs other highland areas. 

Despite having lived in Staffordshire for over 20 years I have never really made the most of our proximity to the Peak District. This year I aim to re-engage with the outdoors and get fitter. The focus for this is the 25km Peak District Challenge event on 17 September.

With 700m of ascent, the route leaves Hathersage following the Derwent Valley Heritage Trail, and follows the river south past Grindleford, along the river and through woodland to Baslow. From here it leaves the valley and climbs up to Curbar and Froggatt edges then through idyllic Hay Wood and over the top of Millstone Edge before the final descent back down to Hathersage.

Ahead of the event, with the hugely appreciated pro bono support from expert running coach and ultra runner Kelvin Horner of Wild Souls Running Collective (@wildsoulsrunning on Facebook), I will be working hard in the evenings and weekends to ensure I am fit enough to take what will be a tough cross country route with significant ascent and descent.

My goal is to complete this 25km challenge, solo, navigating for myself. I'm also aiming to do this as fast as possible, certainly well under the 9h cut off time. To achieve this I aim to both walk and where possible run sections. Those who know me well know I'm no runner, so that's the key to my challenge and will be a big focus for my training. 

Please support my fundraiser if you are able to share my just giving page and social media posts as I prepare for what is sure to be a really tough challenge for a fairly unfit 51-year-old guy. 

Any funds raised will be donated directly to the Community Foundation of Staffordshire https://staffordshire.foundation/ an amazing local charity that provides vital funding to individuals, not for profit groups and communities right across the county for a wide range of needs.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.