Chesterfield woman to take on Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge in memory of stepson who died of brain tumour

Leanne Faulkner has already jumped out of a plane to support The Children’s Hospital Charity and her next challenge is no mean feat either as she’ll be conquering the three highest peaks in the Yorkshire Dales on June 26.

Her fundraising will add to the more than £100,000 raised for Sheffield Children’s Hospital and CLIC Sargent – the UK's leading cancer charity for children – in the name of her 15-year-old stepson Jack who was diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour which sadly ended his life in October 2018.

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Jack started the fundraising by setting up a JustGiving page whilst undergoing chemotherapy on the dedicated neurosciences ward, Ward 5, at Sheffield Children’s Hospital, something which later sparked the ‘TeamJack’ movement.

Leanne, from Chesterfield, said: “There are no words you could possibly use to describe Jack. I could use ones like amazing, brilliant, kind, funny and try and tell you how full of life he was, but they just aren’t enough.

“He was an incredible a young man and an amazing big brother to Max. In some ways he was more like a dad to him, but of course way more fun. I’ll always be grateful that we had him in our lives.”

“Giving back to Sheffield Children’s means an awful lot to me, it’s the least I can do. The care given to Jack was fantastic from all the staff involved. Even the way they looked after his dad Dan, during his many nights in hospital at Jack’s side, was incredible.

“The ending broke our hearts into a thousand pieces and has changed our lives forever, but I want to say thank you and give something back to all those who were there for us.

“If Jack knew I was doing this, he’d probably laugh and think I was daft for even trying it! But I’m also sure he’d give me a pat on the back and wish me luck.”

The Yorkshire Three Peaks is a demanding trekking challenge, which takes in the summits of Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough, all in one circular route starting and ending in Horton-in-Ribblesdale with the aim to complete the 25-mile trek within 12 hours.

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Leanne will be joined by around seven other TeamJack members in the challenge including her brother Dale, uncles Pete and Stuart, and friends Joanne, David and Dotty.

“The walk is actually the day after my son Max’s birthday, so I feel a little guilty but I know he’d want me to do this for Jack so I signed up,” Leanne added.

"It’s going to be tough but with these amazing people by my side, I’m sure we will smash the challenge. It’s such a hard time to be fundraising and asking for donations, I can’t thank everyone enough and we’ll all be eternally grateful for their generosity.”

To support Leanne’s fundraising efforts visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Leanne-Faulknerthreepeaks.

The Children’s Hospital Charity have a limited number of places still available for the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge in June.

You can book your place by visiting https://www.tchc.org.uk/events/yorkshire-three-peaks.html or emailing [email protected] for more information.