Three Peaks Challenge for disabled Yapton mum

Seven members of the Bognor Regis Tone Zone Running Club will take part in the National Three Peaks Challenge - climbing the three highest peaks in England, Scotland and Wales - in just 24 hours.

The group, as well as two drivers, are doing it on behalf of Amanda Newton, the Yapton mum-of-four and Tone Zone Runner before a freak accident last year left her paralysed.

They are raising money to buy her a specialised pink racing wheelchair, and also raising funds for Canine Partners, the assistance dog training charity.

“There’s nine of us in total in the team climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Mt Snowden and we have to do it all within 24 hours,” Nina Baldwinson said at the launch event on Friday, May 20 at Mirage Health & Wellbeing, which MP Nick Gibb attended.

“We all know Amanda really well from running together, she was a guide dog trainer herself before her accident and she’s run a fair few marathons to raise money for Guide Dogs UK.”

Amanda, 45, broke her spinal cord when the back brake of her bike failed on Bury Hill in August 2015, and she careened down to the bottom where she struck a road sign.

She made national headlines after the Observer reported how Amanda bravely told friends and family of her accident on Facebook along with a smiling picture of herself in hospital.

“She’s been unbelievably positive since her accident, we were all shocked when we read her Facebook post,” said Neil Strudwick, one of the Peaks 4 Paws team.

“We all did lots of runs with Amanda. She’s more used to raising money for others so I think she finds it strange being on the receiving end, but this could make a massive difference to her life.”

Representing Canine Partners at the launch event was Kerenza Holzman and her assistant dog Whisky. She spoke of how Whisky helps her to dress, picks things up for her, gets cash out of the machine, along with a host of other vital tasks that have not only made her life, but her whole family’s lives easier.

Mr Gibb, MP for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, said at the event: “I have huge admiration for what they are doing, to complete three peaks inside 24 hours is unimaginable.

To help support the Peaks 4 Paws effort, Mirage Health & Wellbeing is holding an open day at its Lake House home in East Lake, Bognor Regis on Saturday June 11, 10am - 4pm, with demonstrations from Canine Partners.

To help the team visit www.justgiving.com/teams/peaks4paws

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