0 Annual Snowdon Climb 2015
- Fundraising Events
- by James
- 26-01-2016
A crew of hearty fundraisers set off early one unseasonably warm (ish) September’s morning to attempt to summit one of the country’s highest peaks. At 3,560ft, Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa in Welsh, meaning "the throne") is the highest mountain in England and Wales. This is the key to its enduring popularity. We hadn’t realised just how popular until we started our way up, opting for the Miners’ Track over the PYG Track which struck me as similar to our charity name PYP, perhaps this was to be an omen.
There was plenty of characters on the ascend (not in our party), a father-and-son team illustrated the confusion at the heart of our nation's relationship with the outdoors: the dad had more kit than Bear Grylls going off to climb K2, while his son was in jeans and a T-shirt that exclaimed, in pink, "I like party girls". We saw several couples whose expedition equipment comprised Tesco bags and a senior gentleman who was transporting the remains of the family picnic down the mountain in a red tartan shopper – a wonderful and uniquely British sight which we’ll call upon in low moments for years to come.
The most striking memory of the day was the grit and determination of the main fund raisers of the event Lisa Wright and Claire Gillian, they took the challenge by the horns and reached the summit to a well-deserved hero’s welcome. It was clear they had found parts of the ascent demanding yet they along with the other fund raisers refused to take the train down the mountain. Once refreshed and with a smile the group moved off the peak following the Llanberis Path, which roughly follows the route of the Snowdon Mountain Railway, is one of the longest, and certainly the easiest down the mountain.
It was another very successful event on many levels, funds raised, challenges achieved, minds expanded and wonderful experiences shared which encapsulates the ethos of the Priority Youth Project.
Donation can still be made, you can text PYP22 £3 (your chosen amount can be between £1 and £10) to 70070