Grateful Stepmum to take on charity walk for Jack

She will be taking on a new charity event to climb Mount Snowdon- at night! The nine-mile walk begins in the town of Llanberis, in the heart of the Snowdonia National Park before a trek to the top, some 1,085 metres above sea level.

Leanne, from Chesterfield, is aiming to add to the more than £150,000 raised in memory of her stepson Jack Faulkner, who passed away aged 15 in 2018.

She explains: “It was the night-time aspect of the challenge that attracted me! Uneven ground, steep hills, in the dark with a torch… who wouldn’t want to take part?

“After doing the Yorkshire Three Peaks and all the training beforehand, I really started to enjoy walking so when the opportunity came up to climb Snowdon, I jumped at the chance. I can’t wait to get some training done, get the air pods in, podcast on and off I go!”

Leanne will be joined in the challenge by her husband Dan, her brother Dale and his girlfriend, as well as work colleagues and friends.

She adds: “To anyone considering signing up, I’d say just do it! You’ll meet some amazing people on the walk, all with heart-warming and inspirational stories to share.”

Leanne’s fundraising will add to the total raised for Sheffield Children’s Hospital and Young Lives vs. Cancer in memory of her 15-year-old Stepson Jack. Jack was diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour which sadly ended his life in October 2018.

She continues: “Jack would think I was mad, especially to do the walk through the night when I could be sleeping!

“Anything more we can raise is a bonus. It’s hard to keep asking for donations, but our friends and family have been amazing and always dig deep. They really understand how much Sheffield Children’s Hospital and Ward 5 means to us.

“The fundraising in his name means everything to me and to us as a family. Nothing will bring Jack back unfortunately, but if we can help in some way to make other cancer sufferers’ stay in hospital easier then I’ll carry on doing whatever challenges are thrown at me.

“We never thought we’d raise so much, the first target was £1,000 which I think we reached in a few hours and it just got bigger and bigger after that.

“#TeamJack are all incredibly proud of each other, it’s a group that keeps growing with new people joining and raising money so who knows, maybe one day we’ll reach another milestone.”

Phoebe Marriott, Events Fundraising Assistant at The Children’s Hospital Charity added: “It’s incredible to see Leanne doing yet another challenge for Sheffield Children’s. The continuous effort of everyone in #TeamJack is truly inspirational, and every penny they raise goes to help improve Ward 5 where Jack received his treatment.

“I’ll be delighted to walk alongside Leanne in October, as we trek up Snowdon! I hope they know how grateful everyone in the Charity Team is for their support in memory of Jack and I’ll be sure to remind them throughout the night!”

You can support Leanne’s fundraising by visiting: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/teamjack-snowdon

Join her in climbing Snowdon at night on Saturday, 15th October by signing up here: https://www.tchc.org.uk/get-involved/events/snowdon-at-night.html