Southsea man raises £2,000 by standing on his head on mountain tops in England, Scotland and Wales

A MOTIVATIONAL speaker has raised more than £2,000 in an ambitious physical challenge.

Gethin Jones, from Southsea, has been raising money to create opportunities for young people leaving care homes and foster families.

He has raised more than £2,000 for the Flying Solo charity after completing the Three Peaks Challenge.

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He took on the challenge – performing a headstand at each of the highest points in England, Wales and Scotland.

Charity trustee Gethin was hoping to raise £1,000 for them but the total doubled during their climb with the total sitting at more than £2,000.

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He was joined on the Three Peaks climb by Jason Holdaway, Freddie Hoare, Pawel Janik, Mark Legg, Chris McCance, Sam Bell, Daniel Chandler and Daniel Fegan.

Gethin said: ‘The only way to get through the challenge was to take one small step at a time just like any challenge in life.’

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‘It was tougher than I thought it would be. The hardest part was coming down.

‘The ground underfoot was slippery and we did two of the three peaks in the dark.

‘To propel me forward, I kept thinking about all the resilience, strength and courage I’ve needed in the past.

‘We really had to keep each other motivated too, especially at 4am to keep walking and push through the pain.’

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Flying Solo provides opportunities for young people in Portsmouth leaving care homes or foster families.

The Three Peaks Challenge involves climbing the three highest peaks of Scotland, England and Wales – usually within 24 hours – and only around 40 per cent manage to finish within the 24-hour target.

The group started at 7.20am on Saturday, October 17 and finished within the intended time in 23 hours and 34 minutes at 6.46am the next day.

Each member of the group walked a total of 72,381 steps.

In his own business, Unlocking Potential, Gethin uses his own experience of being a care leaver to bring into motivational talks in prisons and additional support for young offenders.

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He added: ‘I just want to say thank you to the guys who came with me and everyone who has donated and supported us so far, we couldn’t have done it without them.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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