STAFF AND members of a Washington gym scaled The Old Man of Coniston to raise funds for a leading North East charity.
Pinchaninch Body Transformation Centre owners Darren and Nichola Tyrie joined personal trainers and more than 60 of their gym regulars to climb the mountain at the Lake District last weekend.
And after scaling the summit in just five hours, the group raised more than £2500 for heart charity Red Sky Foundation in memory of one of their former gym members who recently passed away.
Along with the climb, the group have also put effort into raising awareness of chronic heart disease and have been helping Red Sky Foundation continue their successful defibrillator project.
Mr Tyrie of Biddick, Washington, Tyne & Wear said: “The charity is a great local one and they have caught our attention with the work they’ve been doing to save lives in the region so this climb with our members has been most appealing to me personally.
“The Old Man of Coniston is a well-known mountain climb and with its wonderful views from the top we weren’t surprised so many of our members wanted to scale it with us.”
The trip started early on Saturday morning with over 60 participants boarding a coach to make the trip to the Lakes and a five-hour trek through sunshine, rain, sleet and snow to get to the top.
The full ascent saw people of mixed fitness abilities reach the peak to witness the stunning views.
Pinchaninch on the Parsons Industrial Estate, Washington supported the climbers’ preparation with training schedules in both the gym and at home.
Sergio Petrucci, who founded Red Sky Foundation with his wife Emma after their daughter received life saving heart surgery at the Freeman Hospital, emphasised the value of the charity’s latest fundraisers.
“People needing emergency cardiac care is all over the news at the moment and we are delighted to have the Pinchaninch team playing such an important role in helping others survive a cardiac arrest.
“The support Darren and his team have given our charity has been superb and we’re now planning the next adventure with them to make more of a difference to help us save more lives.”
The team are still accepting donations at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/pinchaninchhike
For more information on what the charity does in the region visit www.redskyfoundation.com