Alex Surrey, who works as a branch manager at local builders’ merchant Jewson in Leamington, recently took on a hefty challenge. Not only did he and a team of five colleagues take on the gruelling Three Peaks Challenge, Mr Surrey did so while carrying an enormous 32kg hod of bricks on his back.
This Herculean task raised £5,600 for Macmillan Cancer Support, a charity close to Mr Surrey’s heart following the sad loss of his mother last year.
The Three Peaks Challenge consists of walking the highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales, all within 24 hours. For Mr Surrey the challenge wasn’t enough though. He decided to carry the 32kg hod on his back for the entire hike up Scafell Pike, Mount Snowdon and Ben Nevis with the support of his team of five colleagues. The hod of bricks is not only a reference to Mr Surrey’s job in the construction industry, it also symbolises and aims to highlight the sheer determination needed to deal with cancer every day.
After Alex’s mother passed away suddenly due to pancreatic cancer in February 2013, he felt compelled to do something different for the charity that provides vital support for the terminally ill and their families. The team of six trained hard for the challenge, regularly hiking in Snowdonia which meant Mr Surrey had plenty of practice carrying the heavy hod across all terrains, in all weathers.
He said: “When my Mum passed away she was only 60 years old, fit and healthy. Macmillan was very supportive to our family through this tough time, so I wanted to give something back to them in a different way. The Three Peaks Challenge was pretty tough and the weight of the hod certainly didn’t make things easier. However, it was still nothing compared to what people living with cancer go through on a daily basis and it was all worth it to raise money for such a brilliant cause!”
To find out more about Mr Surrey’s challenge visit his JustGiving page at www.justgiving.com/Alex-Surrey.
