UK teams raise money for Wooden Spoon charity
Teams from across the UK took part in England’s toughest charity event, the Ford Ranger Great Lakeland Challenge, on Friday, May 16 and raised almost £80,000 for national charity Wooden Spoon.
The event, which generated £78,358 for disabled and disadvantaged children and young people throughout the UK, saw teams tackle England’s ‘longest, steepest and highest’.
First they canoed the 10.5 mile length of England’s longest lake, Lake Windermere, then cycled a 26-mile route over Wrynose and Hard Knott – England’s steepest passes – before conquering England’s highest peak, Scafell Pike, as part of an eight-mile trek from Wasdale Head to the Langdale Valley.
Completing the Challenge in 7 hours and 53 minutes, the fastest team was the Movianto Motivators, whose members live in Bedford, Wigan and St. Helens. The winners of the cherished wooden spoon, awarded to the last team home, were three brothers from Edinburgh, Stirling and North Berwick – The Tartan Spoon 49ers – with a time of 11 hours and 49 minutes!
For the first time in the 12-year history of the event the main accolade was shared by two teams. The Challenge Bowl, which is awarded for the best combination of time and funds raised, was presented to Two Half Backs and a Prop from Tonbridge in Kent and Carlisle-based Calder Foods. The Fundraising Bowl was won by another family team, The Three Musketeers from Hertfordshire.
Challenge organiser Katharine Brindley said: “On Spoon Challenges we always see a wide range of abilities. Some teams sign up to test themselves and produce fast times, whereas others, like The Tartan Spoon 49ers, sign up for the fun of taking part and celebrating with fellow teams at the awards dinner.
“At the end of the day, the most important thing is that teams enjoy themselves and that we raise as much as we possibly can for Wooden Spoon.”
The Ford Ranger Great Lakeland Challenge is one of a series of Spoon Challenges, which also includes the Four Peaks and End 2 End cycle challenges. Challengers who sign up to each event, pledge to raise a minimum amount for national charity, Wooden Spoon. In 2008, Great Lakeland Challenge teams were required to raise a minimum of £3,900.
For more visit the Spoon Challenges
