Five intrepid posties set to deliver a £7,000 boost to a children’s hospice are being helped on their way by a North Wales merchandising company.
The Royal Mail team will be tackling the gruelling Three Peaks Challenge this weekend (July 1 and July 2) to conquer the tallest mountains in Britain, in aid of Tŷ Gobaith Hospice.
Sional Promotional Merchandise Ltd, based in Llanfairfechan, has supplied free t-shirts, sunglasses and water bottles to promote the fund-raising trek for the hospice, which is the company’s charity of the year.
Sional co-founder Sioned Jones previously worked at Tŷ Gobaith, which provides care and support to life-limited children, young people and their families from across North Wales. Based in Tyn y Groes in the Conwy Valley, it offers a range of services, including respite and end-of-life care 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
This is the seventh year that Sional has supported the team’s Three Peaks Challenge, which will see the posties cover 1,000 miles by foot and car as they tackle Scotland’s Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike in the Lake District and Snowdon in Wales – all within 24 hours.
The fearless five are Steve Jones, 55, and Duncan Edwards, 51, both from Llanfairfechan, plus Simon Jones, 39, and Ben Williams, 33, both from Holyhead, along with line manager Bev Williams, 31, from Penmaenmawr.
Steve, who is Sional’s regular postman, said: “We started doing the Three Peaks event eight years ago and since then have raised over £20,000 for various charities.
“This will be the third time we’ve done it for Tŷ Gobaith, which we all think is a fantastic cause. It’s incredible when you visit the hospice, as I’ve done on a couple of occasions, to see the level of care they provide.
“Our target is to raise at least £7,000 for them this time and we’re all looking forward very much to doing the challenge.
“We’re being sponsored by family, friends and customers, with Royal Mail agreeing to match-fund each individual taking part up to £200 and supplying the minibus.”
Steve, who is based at Royal Mail’s Bangor office, added: “We’d like to say a big thank you to Sioned and Alan at Sional for helping us out again with the t-shirts and other things for the challenge.
“I’ve known them ever since they set up their business. I just asked them back in 2011 if they’d care to help with our fundraising events and they agreed right away.
“They’ve helped us out every year since and it’s great to get the support of a local business such as this.
“Doing the Three Peaks is always tough but we’re all used to walking miles every day in our jobs – apart from Bev who is office based.”
Sional, whose new headquarters on Llanfairfechan Industrial Estate had a fanfare opening by Aberconwy MP Guto Bebb earlier this year, is a stalwart supporter of a number of local charity efforts and has been supplying kit to the dauntless delivery team for their annual Three Peaks campaigns since 2011.
Sioned said: “I worked as a nursing assistant at Tŷ Gobaith along with my sister Pamela so I know what a fantastic place it is.
“I think it was the best job I ever had because it let me see how good they are to the children and their parents. It has such a happy atmosphere and is also very inspirational – that’s why Alan and I are so happy to help the team doing the Three Peaks once again.”
Alan explained that the Royal Mail Three Peaks Challenge was just one of the charitable events to which Sional gave its backing.
He said: “We’ve provided t-shirts to people running marathons and half marathons as individuals, such as a guy from the local council who did the London event, and groups like the ones from the builders merchants Richard Williams in Deganwy and Huws Gray in Llangefni. We’ve also supplied pink t-shirts to a group of ladies doing the Race for Life.
“We try to do something like this at least a couple of times a year because, as part of the community, we think it’s so important to support local people and local causes.”
The team will begin their challenge on Saturday July 1 by driving north in the minibus supplied by their Royal Mail bosses, and are aiming to start their trek up Ben Nevis at around 4pm.
They reckon it will take them about four hours to reach the 1,345 metre summit and come back down again before they head for Scafell in the Lake District, reaching it at about 1am on Sunday and aiming to make their way up and down the 978 metre mountain in around three hours.
Then they head home to Wales where the mighty Snowdon and its 1,085 metres summit awaits their tired bodies. They’re due to arrive mid-morning on Sunday and their intention is to hit the top and return to ground level in just over three hours.
Bev said: “A couple of the lads have done the Three Peaks before. It’s my first time but I’m sure I’ll be able to handle it.
“I’m really glad to be doing it for Tŷ Gobaith because the support they give to local families with respite and terminal care is just amazing.”
Sional, which has just marked a record-breaking financial year with sales rising by more than 70%, supplies over 60,000 promotional products from branded pens to sports clothing, uniforms and hi-vis workwear, with items sent as far afield as Australia.
It is an official provider of Premier League sportswear and among its 2,200 customers are UK-based multi-national companies including GreenThumb and Marshalls, plus the Welsh Olympic Trap Team, North Wales Car Club (Cambrian Rally), sports clubs, schools, local authorities and charities.
More details at 01248 689249 or sional.co.uk
To support the team’s Three Peaks challenge go to justgiving.com/fundraising/stephen-jones91
