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STAR TREKKER
STAR TREKKER
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When a North Cotswolds Private GP service was asked to donate a raffle prize, Dr Simon Gillson never imagined that he would be at the top of England’s highest peak. We meet him and hear his story.
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A few months ago Concierge Medical Practice was asked to donate a raffle prize for charity. Sadly, unlike many great local businesses, what they provide doesn’t easily lend itself to be packaged as an award. As a result, Simon agreed to undertake the National Three Peaks 24 hour challenge for the same charity, namely Meningitis Now . Subsequently that trek was cancelled. “I’d already been sponsored and needed a new challenge. Despite my protests, a Man v Food-style trial was deemed insufficient for such a worthy cause. Instead, I found myself in the Lake District with a mission to climb the eight highest peaks there, including all England’s 3000ft+ hills, in 36 hours!”
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Fundraising started slowly but increased rapidly when Simon offered to wear a particular t-shirt for the duration of the trek which was “a gigantic departure from my usual tweed work clothes”. The t-shirt in question proclaimed a fondness of Coldplay front man Chris Martin. “I usually find myself listening to quite heavy rock and my dislike for Coldplay is a running joke among friends!” he explains.
Preparing for rain and wind, numerous layers of warm and waterproof clothing were packed. The weather, however, was unusually hot! “Most of the guides on the trip reported, I suspect with a sense of jingoistic pride, that it always rained in the Lake District and they’d never been atop these peaks without being engulfed by mist and battered by tempestuous winds. So, with all participants wrapped in numerous layers of clothing, we started our ascents and soon found that our attire was not suited to the nearly thirty degree heat we experienced climbing Helvellyn.”
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Simon was not alone on this trek. There were 23 participants altogether, all raising money for Meningitis Now. “I hadn’t met any of them before arriving in Keswick but they were an excellent bunch. One of them took a trifle up to the top of Scafell Pike and ate it at the highest point in England. There was no specific charitable aim here, he just really liked trifle. And who can blame him?” He goes on to add “I did have my own “survival” food as the lovely Sarah, from Fair Square Brownies, supplied me with a feast that I shared at the top of Helvellyn and Scafell Pike and washed it down with Gibson’s Organic finest liqueur”
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You obviously can’t take on a challenge like this without the necessary training and Simon is no stranger to mountainous climbs. “I trained a fair bit. Having Cleeve Hill on your doorstep is pretty handy. I’ve ascended Kilimanjaro twice and been to Everest base camp. This obviously wasn’t as hard as those but it certainly wasn’t an insignificant quest, made more tricky by the ‘unusual’ weather conditions. It definitely made my legs hurt but we raised a lot of money for Meningitis Now so it was undoubtedly all worth it” The figure that they have accumulated is over £22K and still rising. “Fortunately, there was a lovely pub where we could relax and rehydrate when it was all over! It was such an enjoyable trip that I would recommend highly to anyone looking for a challenge in the UK”
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You can still donate to Simon’s trek HERE. Simon is always looking for his next challenge and would love to hear your suggestions!
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– See more at: http://www.thecotswoldsgentleman.co.uk/star-tekker.html#sthash.6mzGezdi.dp[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]