Mansfield dad leads Three Peaks Challenge to support children with cancer

Mansfield dad Jamie Lynch (left) with hiking mates Ross Johnson and Craig Page (right) after completing a 40-mile sponsored walk last year to raise money for charity.

When Mansfield dad Jamie Lynch says: “There is nothing I fear more than one of my children falling ill,” he is speaking from the heart.

But he will soon be speaking with his feet too because he is to lead a hiking challenge to raise money for kids with cancer.

Jamie, 33, hiking mates Ross Johnson, 25, and Craig Page, 33, and a team of up to 30 work colleagues are to tackle the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge on Saturday, April 30 in support of the Nottingham-based charity, PASIC.

PASIC (Parents’ Association for Seriously Ill Children) offers emotional, social, practical and financial help for the families of young people with cancer. And its work resonated with Jamie, who has three children of his own, aged 12, seven and three.

Jamie (centre) with mates Ross Johnson and Andrew Bailey (right) on Blencathra, also known as Saddleback, one of the most northerly hills in the Lake District.

He said: "We did a bit of research on local charities and when I reached out to Louise Towse, the chief executive of PASIC, I knew straight away this was the one we wanted to raise money for.

"Your child suffering an illness, especially if it’s severe or terminal, is the worst thing I can imagine happening.

"We have set up a JustGiving page and hope to raise at least £1,000. But it could be more because we have the head office, directors and branches of my company on board. It’s going to be really big.”

Why the exciting revival of Berry Hill Park is music to Mansfield's ears

That company is the nationwide kitchen supplier Magnet. Jamie is a project manager and works out of the Mansfield branch on Sutton Road, where four staff members, Andrew Bailey, Marianne Dunn and father-and-son duo Darren and Lewis Maskery, have already agreed to join him.

Other Magnet staff from across the country will also line up for the challenge, which aims to conquer the Pennines peaks of Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough inside 12 hours.

It covers 24 miles, with 5,200 feet of ascent, and is described as “the most physically demanding and under-estimated walking challenge in Britain”.

Jamie, Ross, Craig and 31-year-old Andrew are confident of making it, given they are regular hikers in places such as the Peak District, the Lake District and Wales.

And last summer, Jamie and friends completed a similar sponsored trek when walking 40 miles to raise £2,500 for another local charity, Forever Stars, which supports mums and dads who have lost babies at birth.

Support your Chad by becoming a digital subscriber. You will see 70 per cent fewer ads on stories, meaning faster load times and an overall enhanced user-experience. Click here to subscribe.