Lincolnshire Adventurers Set to Conquer Three Peaks for Charity

The team of eight, led by Gainsborough-based business Rix K9 Fuels, is looking to raise more than £5,000 for the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance by completing the national Three Peaks Challenge.

The challenge involves climbing the three highest peaks in the UK – Ben Nevis in Scotland, Scarfell Pike in England, and Snowdon in Wales – in under 24 hours.

Not only must they summit and descend all three mountains within the time limit to be successful, they will also have to complete a drive of more than 460 miles from the north of Scotland to North Wales in the 24 hour timescale.

The challenge has been organised by Craig Belshaw, an account manager at Rix K9 Fuels, which is based in Marshall Way in the town.

41-year-old Craig is a seasoned marathon runner and hill walker, and was keen to support the air ambulance after meeting with the crew and finding out more about how they operate.

Craig said: “As a business, we’ve long supported Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance but that has mainly been through displaying their logo on the back of our tankers and shaking a bucket at local agricultural shows.

“But I recently met with the crew and found out it cost £4,000 for each mission they get called out to.

“The service gets no government funding so relies on donations from individuals and businesses to carry out the amazing works it does.

“Hearing this made me want to do some more serious fundraising for the service and after giving it some thought, we settled on trying to complete the National Three Peaks.”

The team includes representatives from Rix K9 Fuels – part of Hull-based national fuel supplier Rix Petroleum – as well as other businesses including the Lindum Group and ABP.

Initially, they had a target of raising £4,000 – enough to pay for one mission – but an influx of early donations has prompted the team to want to smash through the £5,000 barrier.

Craig added they had chosen the charity because it provided a lifeline for many of Rix’s customers.

Rix K9 Fuels provides agricultural fuels and lubricants to scores of farmers across Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire and it is these people, Craig said, who rely on the air ambulance service the most.

“The road network around us is not great. It’s all minor roads and B-roads, so if a farmer has an accident, their best bet is the air ambulance because it can land in a field,” he said.

“That means it is absolutely vital we have this service around here. The crew are amazing, they can do open-heart surgery by the side of the road if they have to – whatever it takes to ensure people get the critical care they need. We should all be very proud of them and support them as much as we can.”

Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance Corporate Partnerships Manager, Joe Harper, said: “We are incredibly grateful to Craig and his team for supporting us by taking on this incredible challenge.

“The first three months of 2024 have been our busiest start to a year on record. And we know the demand for our service will continue to increase as the days get longer.

“We will need £13 million this year to keep our helicopter in the sky and our fleet of critical care cars on the road, providing a 24/7, 365 days a year service. As we receive no Government funding, we really do rely on our local communities and businesses in Lincs & Notts like Rix K9 Fuels to support our work.”

The team will be undertaking the challenge on Friday, May 24. If you would like to donate to Rix K9 Fuel’s National Three Peaks Challenge, visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/rix-3-peaks.