Now the real test for trio begins: Fund-raisers ready for mountain challenge
PHIL Purdy, Peter Bailey and Jeff Crooke feel as if they have climbed a mountain already – but for the three friends the real challenge is about to begin.
After months of intensive training and hectic fund-raising, they are about to set off for the Himalayas where their ambitious target is to climb to the summit of Cho Oyu, the world's sixth highest mountain.
They have already raised 90,000 in donations and pledges to fund bladder cancer research at St James's Hospital in Leeds and are pushing on towards their target of 100,000.
Phil, of Smith House Lane, Brighouse, Peter, who moved from Brighouse to the Lake District two months ago, and Jeff, of Norwich, fly out to Kathmandu on August 22. Ahead of them will lie another flight to Lhasa, several weeks of acclimatisation and a climb through freezing temperatures and over an exhausting terrain of snow slopes and ice-covered ridges to the 8,000 metre summit.
They will be away from home and from their families and loved ones until October.
In July the friends travelled to Austria for a week of technical training in the mountains near Salzburg and earlier this month they were in Snowdonia with mountaineering specialists Jagged Globe to meet up with most of the other 14 team members on the expedition.
Phil, who works for Yorkshire Water, said: "Since last summer the training has been pretty intense and it has often taken us away from our families. But good preparation is absolutely vital. None of us has climbed at this altitude before and we knew that we had to be as fit and prepared as we could be.
"We've all had a few niggles and injuries along the way but we've all bonded really well as a team and we know that we're going to be able to support and encourage each other through the difficult times."
Alongside their technical training, Peter, a former teacher in special education at the William Henry Smith School, Brighouse, Phil and Jeff have been raising money through sponsorship and charity events including a fun night at Brighouse Sports Club. They have also visited St James's Hospital to see Prof Margaret Knowles and her team who are carrying out research into bladder cancer.
"It was very inspiring and motivating to see the work that is being done. Prof Knowles has been doing marvellous work in identifying the genes that trigger the development of bladder cancer and in paving the way for new treatments that can be tailored to the individual patient. They have such a passion for doing all they can to combat this disease," said Phil, a father-of-four.
Both Phil and Peter have compelling personal reasons for getting involved in the climb. Phil lost his father to cancer six years ago while Peter's wife, Margaret, former deputy registrar at Halifax Register Office, had successful treatment for a rare form of adrenal cancer a decade ago.
"As the departure day gets nearer, I think we are all feeling a mixture of excitement and apprehension. We are obviously worried about the problems caused by the altitude and the extremes of temperature. We are going to have to be extremely self-disciplined to make sure that everything is done properly while on the mountain.
"I will miss my family, my bed and, perhaps most of all, a beer but we are all encouraged by the help we have had so far and hope people will be able to continue to support us to reach the 100,000 target."
Fact file
Cho Oyu (Qowowuyag in Nepali) is the sixth highest mountain in the world at 8,201 metres. The mountain lies west of Everest near the border between China and Nepal.
Bladder cancer is the sixth most common cancer in the UK. Each year almost 10,300 people are diagnosed with the disease in the UK and it claims more than 4,800 lives. It is more common in men than women.
Prof Margaret Knowles is a a world leader in bladder cancer research and Cancer Research UK has supported her work since 1997.
Her team is trying to identify the genetic changes involved in the development of the disease and to understand why they cause cancer.
The Cho Oyu 2009 expedition is being funded through personal contacts and public appeals and all the money raised will go direct to the charity.
One message of support has come from international climber Sir Chris Bonington. Log on to the website www. justgiving.com/chooyu2009 to sponsor Phil, Peter and Jeff.
We are going to have to be extremely self-disciplined to make sure that everything is done properly while on the mountain.
“I will miss my family, my bed and, perhaps most of all, a beer but we are all encouraged by the help we have had so far and hope people will be able to continue to support us to reach the 100,000 target.”
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Wednesday 23 May 2012
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