Also pictured are Kate and Sam, who are at the front holding the banner with Rufus, the JDRF Bear. Not pictured are Ben Alderson, Edinburgh, Phil Sinclair, Long Marton, Ian Collinson, Winton and Duncan Rose, of Kirkby Stephen.
A team of 11 men, who all hail from the Upper Eden area, will attempt to complete the Three Peaks challenge in under 24 hours on Friday.
Paul Alderson, of Nateby, with 10 others are doing the challenge in order to raise funds for JDRF, a diabetes charity – one year later than planned.
The Three Peaks challenge sees participants attempt to climb the highest mountains of England, Scotland and Wales.
These are Scafell Pike (978m or 3,209 ft), Ben Nevis (1,345m or 4,413 ft), and Snowdon (1,085m or 3,560 ft).
The total distance walked is estimated at about 27 miles, with a total ascent of 9,800 feet (3,000m).
The team have already raised £2,000 and it’s hoped that could be increased to £3,000 by the time the challenge has been completed.
On September 13 2019, Paul’s son Sam, who is now aged eight, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
The condition affects about 400,000 people in the UK, 29,000 of them children.
It is a chronic, life-threatening condition which has a life-long impact on those diagnosed with it and their families.
People with type 1 diabetes rely on multiple insulin injections or pump infusions every day just to stay alive.
“We are proud of Sam everyday with how he takes this all in his stride,” said Paul who is married to Lilly and also has a five-year-old daughter, Kate.
JDRF, which stands for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, is the type 1 diabetes charity, improving lives until a cure can be found.
It is totally focused on type 1 diabetes, and it’s run by people with type 1, for people with type 1.
The money raised will help JDRF to move forward in its mission to cure, treat and prevent type 1 diabetes.
Lilly explained that when Sam was first diagnosed, at the age of six, he was given a teddy bear which was used to show him where his injections would need to go in his legs, arms and tummy.
On a daily basis Sam has to have at least four injections, but quite often it is more.
The JDRF charity also works with the Government, academia and industry to accelerate research in the UK and within healthcare policy to ensure that the outcomes of research are delivered to people with type 1 in the UK.
And it also gives support and a voice to people with type 1 and their families.
Operating independently in nine countries, including the UK and American, JDRF is the world’s leading charitable funder of type 1 diabetes and unites as an international organisation to fund the best research wherever it is in the world.
Globally, JDRF has invested £1 billion in funding critical research to improve the lives of those living with type 1 and its network has been responsible for raising over £600 million.
The JDRF also operates in the UK as an independent charity, registered with the charity commission in England and Wales and is currently funding over 20 research projects in the UK.
