TEAMS of dedicated fundraisers from Monmouth Rugby Club climbed eight mountains between them recently.

Monmouth RFC players Spencer Cawley, Joel Grant, Will Smith and Morgan Paley completed the Welsh 3 Peaks challenge in under 15 hours, while club chairman Lloyd Davies completed the 5in55 challenge, despite an injury that left him in hospital.

The challenges were in aid of Ty Hafan: one of the UK’s leading paediatric palliative care charities and provides care for terminally ill children and their families. The hospice needs to raise over £3,000,000 a year from private funding to survive.

After only an hour’s sleep on 28th June, four Monmouth RFC players and Convey Law employees embarked on the Welsh 3 Peaks Challenge. A 4am departure to the summit of Mount Snowdon, Wales’ highest peak meant the boys could enjoy the sunrise as they climbed. The boys made good time and were back down at around 8.30am where fifth team member and designated driver, Mark Probert, had cooked up his speciality dish – ravioli and cheese. The boys and Mark, who were now full to the brim with ravioli and motivation, set off for Cadair Idris.

Stage two of the challenge proved to be more difficult than anticipated. The guys were warned by the fantastic Welsh 3 Peaks support staff to drink plenty of fluids on what turned out to be a boiling hot day. Cadair Idris was conquered within five hours, bringing home a number of different minor injuries, especially for Spencer Cawley who hadn’t worn in his brand spanking new walking boots - a rookie mistake!

Last up was Pen Y Fan, which was more difficult for the Monmouth RFC players than originally thought! The Convey Law employees walked for over 20 miles ascending a combined total of 2,846m within 15 hours.

Then on 4th July club chairman and Convey Law managing director Lloyd Davies climbed five mountains in the UK in just 55 hours. Lloyd undertook the challenge as part of an inspirational quest with 10 dads whose family have used the services of Ty Hafan.

The challenge was a merger of the UK 3 Peaks (Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon) and the Welsh 3 Peaks (Snowdon, Cadair Idris and Pen Y Fan). The team climbed a combined height of 5,187m covering over 36 miles.

The bus departed Ty Hafan in Cardiff at 6am heading for the highlands of Scotland. The 12 hour journey allowed the team to introduce themselves and relax as much as possible before the monumental quest began.

Spirits were high at stage one of the challenge which saw the team tackle the mighty Ben Nevis at 1pm. Feeling fresh and well rested the dads conquered Big Ben in good time, even discovering snow at the summit.

The team then had a quick bite to eat before departing to Scafell Pike in the Lake District.

Breakfast was at 3am on day three, starting Scafell Pike at 4am. This was no easy task, taking the team around four hours to complete. The early start meant of course that they could appreciate the sunrise from the summit!

Next was the four-and-a-half hour trip to Snowdonia. The dads began stage three of the expedition, Snowdon, at 1pm finishing at 5pm – two mountains conquered in just over 12 hours!

Stage four of the challenge was Cadair Idris, a testing climb that took the team around five hours to complete. It was at the base of Cadair Idris where Lloyd’s painful big toe left him two options; to call it a day or to carry on. Alongside all the other Ty Hafan heroes Lloyd strapped his boots back up and was determined to carry on to complete the final stage of the expedition, Pen Y Fan.

On a normal day Pen Y Fan is an easier hike, taking roughly an hour to climb. Having conquered four other peaks over the two previous days Pen Y Fan prompted one final push for the 5in55 team in order to complete the expedition.

Lloyd descended Pen Y Fan straight into A&E, where he was put on a drip for three days avoiding near amputation and potential death by sepsis. Lloyd is ok, though, and still smiling for Ty Hafan.

Both teams have raised over £2,000 for Ty Hafan with a target of £3,000.

To support Lloyd, the Monmouth RFC boys and all of the dads that smashed the challenge, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/monmouthrfcsnowdogs