A FOUR-MAN team drawn from the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, its Preservation Society and Friends organisation, is urging consumers to dig deep and assist its mission to help runaway children around the world.
The steam railway already plays a part in the Three Peaks Challenge – a charity event that relies on the railway network to ferry competitors between London, Bangor, Ravenglass and Fort William to climb Snowdon, Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis, the highes
t mountains in Wales, England and Scotland.
The stretch between Ravenglass and Dalegarth, at the foot of England's highest mountain, Scafell Pike, is negotiated via the Ravenglass and Eskdale's steam trains.
This year, for the first time, an R&E team will compete in the strenuous three-day challenge and keep the focus very much on railways, but for an excellent reason.
The team, comprising, Martin Cookman, John Manners, Alastair Spence and Mungo Stacy will be getting their mountain boots between June 25 and 27, to raise funds for the Railway Children charity.
This charity helped 25,571 children last year by making contact with runaway and abandoned children who arrive at railway stations and immediately put themselves at risk from abuse and adult exploitation.
Its specialists provide protection, support, counselling, education, healthcare, shelter and friendship and forge links with other projects, to place a net of protection around the youngsters who have taken the desperate decision to leave home, or who have nowhere to go.
Around 100,000 under 16s run away from home or care in the UK each year. This is also the number of street children typically found around Delhi's railway stations, whilst UNICEF estimates there are a horrifying 11 million street children in India in total.
Helping these children by donating money to the Railway Children charity is a top priority for the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, despite knowing hypothermia, fatigue, blisters and a host of other problems could lie ahead.
The challenge involves climbing over 13 miles of tough terrain in just three days, sometimes by torchlight and with little sleep between climbs.
To even take part in the challenge, the team needs to raise £3,500. They currently have around £2,920 and are asking anyone, who would not wish to see their children in the vulnerable position of the world's runaways, to donate what they can.
Team leader Martin Cookman said: "The cause for which we are raising funds is just so worthy that failure is not a possibility for us. We have been preparing mentally and physically for this exhausting challenge and we have our eyes firmly trained on getting the sponsorship money raised, so that we can help as many vulnerable runaways as possible."
Donating is very easy and is best done online via the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway's page at www.justgiving.com /ratty3peaksteam. Just Giving make sure that 25 per cent of all donations are Gift Aided and can add a three per cent supplement to donations made via this site.
