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A team of hardened Bridgwater College Automotive staff (including BSS member Barry Williams) took on the national Fire Brigade Three Peaks 24-hour Challenge for the third time. In the two previous attempts they had only managed a silver medal each time but had been getting quicker. They were only 5 minutes away from a gold medal in 2007, with a time of 20 hours and 5 painful minutes. With the agony of coming so close still fresh in their minds, the team set out again for one last big push to gain a gold medal.
For the third time Falcon Self Drive kindly donated a minibus to carry the team from Scotland to Wales via the Lake District. The bus was great and gave the team the best possible chance with its comfort and reliability. Mill Auto Supplies donated a much needed tank of fuel and Tool Station donated £200 to the team’s charity and also gave them T-shirts to wear during the event. The team gave it their all, and after enduring -20°C wind chill and snow on top of Ben Nevis they soldiered on to a very respectable 3 hours 45 minutes on the first mountain.
The drivers performed seamlessly during the event and got the team to each mountain start point with time to spare for the guys to prepare for the ascents. Scafell Pike in a sunny Lake District was conquered in an amazing 3 hours, giving the team the best chance to complete in a good time. It was all down to the drivers now to get the team to the foot of MountSnowdon in time. They did this well within the time limit, giving everyone around 10 minutes to prepare for the last ascent and what was hopefully going to be glory. The weather was good, but the team were tired – they had 2 hours 45 minutes to climb Snowdon to secure the gold medal. Off they went with the goal firmly fixed in their sights; the climb was long and hard with some steeper sections to overcome. With immense pride the team reached the top and the finish line in 1 hour and 45 minutes. The finish time was 19 hours and 6 minutes. This time will go down in Bridgwater College Automotive history as an epic team effort that not only brought them gold but left a memory with them all that will last for ever.
The team members have used the event to raise money for charity through fundraising activities. The money collected will go to the Musgrove Leukaemic Group Somerset, the Behçet’s Syndrome Society and the Fire-Fighters Charity.
Thanks go to Ludo and the Fire-Fighters Charity, the event organisers, and to the sponsors Falcon Self Drive, Tool Station and Mill Auto Supplies.
