Dozens of outdoor enthusiasts roamed the Cheshire hills on a demanding walking challenge raising thousands of pounds for a local hospice for young people.

Tens of thousands of pounds has been raised for Francis House Children's Hospice, by scaling Macclesfield hills to raise money for the good cause.

The 2023 Cheshire Three Peaks Challenge, held annually in Macclesfield, has raised £13,900 for the Didsbury based hospice.

Francis House provides respite care and a range of emotional support services to more than 600 families of children and young people with life-limiting conditions.

Tomm Childs and Hannah Jeffares at the summit of Shutlingsloe.

A chilly morning greeted the 147 walkers as they gathered at Tegg's Nose Visitor Centre in Macclesfield as they embarked on one of two scenic walking routes.

Amongst the teams of businesses taking part were 17 staff and family members from Wilmslow based Sinclair Law. The majority of the group, including children and four-legged friends, walked for 6.5 miles through beautiful heathland and woodland with a couple of steep climbs thrown in for good luck. The more adventurous among them tackled the longer 13.6 mile route, taking in Tegg's Nose, Shutlingsloe and Shining Tor.

Lucy Hart, director of Sinclair Law said: "It was a fantastic event for an amazing cause, Francis House is a charity that really deserves everyone's support. The whole team thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and taking in the wonderful views on a sunny Sunday morning. Everyone made it over the finish line and most importantly, we managed to raise more than £600 for Francis House Children's Hospice."

As the day got hotter and the sun shone, Tomm Childs from Chorlton and Hannah Jeffares reached the summit of Shutlingsloe. Tomm's father Les Childs walked the shorter route and the trio raised £670. Tomm works for TGE Gas Engineering and the firm's Manchester office are supporting the hospice as their charity of the year.

They are located on Parrswood Road in Didsbury, just 14 miles from Macclesfield.

Macclesfield residents Paul Smith and Kate Unsworth together with their children Daniel and Alice donated £100 to the charity after conquering the long route.

Other finishers included Charlot Ramsden and Alex Hosker from RTC Automotive Solutions in Bury who raised £418 and staff from Babble a leading cloud solutions provider, who smashed their target by raising £1,220.

The event was co-sponsored by Wythenshawe's Cardinal Global Logistics and Speed Couriers (Northern) Ltd who participated on the day and provided vans and a support driver.

Rachel Nasiri, fundraising officer of Francis House said: "Well done to everyone who took on this year's challenge. Special thanks to those who went above and beyond to raise a fantastic amount in sponsorship. It costs approximately £12,900 per day to run the hospice and provide services including homecare, sibling support groups and end of life care. If you'd like to join us next year, keep Sunday, June 23 free and watch this space."

Trekkers scaled Shutlinsloe as one of the three charity fundraising peaks. (Image - Macclesfield Nub News)

Anyone wanting to support the hospice and its events, or find out about next year's challenge can head to this weblink.

Got a business or charity to promote in Macclesfield? Advertise it for FREE on our Local List 

Macclesfield: Have you signed up for our FREE Friday weekly newsletter? It contains each week's top five Macclesfield news stories, and one EXCLUSIVE article?

Simply enter your email address on this link.

Free from pop-up ads, or unwanted surveys, Macclesfield Nub News is a quality online newspaper for our town.

You can find us on Facebook and Twitter.