Deputy Chief Medical Officer takes Mersey Cares to new heights in National Three Peaks Challenge
1 January 2025
Rosie Kaur's record-breaking fundraiser was a powerful demonstration of pushing personal boundaries and rising to the ultimate challenge
Rosie Kaur conquers the National Three Peaks Challenge for Mersey Cares - raising £1,450
Through the swirling Snowdon mist, hundreds of feet above sea level, Rosie Kaur can see the outline of two figures walking briskly towards her. As they move closer, their faces grow beautifully familiar through the haze, bringing warmth to her heart and assuring a fitting ending to a tale of personal triumph and fundraising to support people in the communities she serves.
Just five minutes earlier, Mersey Care’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Physical Health was feeling a little deflated as her mountain guide had delivered the blow that due to time constraints her group would be unable to summit Snowdon, the final peak in their National Three Peaks challenge. Time had not been on their side and so the final ascent to mark the end of a gruelling 36 hours with little sleep and extraordinary resilience to climb the tallest peaks of Scotland, England and Wales, was just out of reach.
But this was not going to be the story end for Rosie. Her forethought just hours earlier resulted in the chance of an alternate ending, which would play out more like a scene from a movie than a charity fundraiser.
“I messaged my two sons who are 18 and 21 and said: ‘I’m worried that they will say I won’t be able to summit Snowdon,’ she said.
"I told them: ‘You need to turn up at Snowdon in the morning!'"
Heeding their mum’s 11th hour plea, Rosie’s sons, Kiran, 21 and Aran, 18, set off before sunrise for Snowdonia, where against the odds (and the clock) they located her on the mountainside at the critical junction just before the group was set to begin their descent.
“As we were walking up the mountain to the Finger Stone —the point at which you decide whether you’re going to take the Llanberis pass or continue on to the summit—the two of them appeared out of the mist. It was just lovely!”.
The siblings, who had been supporting their mum with her training hikes in the run up to the event asked the Global Adventures guides if they could support their mum in reaching the summit. And so together they disappeared into the mountain's shifting cloud to author a new and climactic chapter.
The National Three Peaks Challenge
The National Three Peaks Challenge involves climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike, and Snowdon —the highest peaks of Scotland, England and Wales. Participants for this challenge sought to complete it within 36 hours, which includes not just the climbs themselves but also the driving time between the peaks, in three different countries.
This physically demanding challenge tests endurance, determination, and teamwork, making it a popular fundraising activity for various charities with individuals and groups looking to push their limits while supporting important causes.
When Rosie contacted our charity to say she’d like to take on the challenge and raise funds for people accessing Mersey Care services across Cheshire and Merseyside, we were delighted to say the least. Little did we know that she would become our highest individual fundraiser – with her supporters amassing an incredible £1,450 to fund projects beyond the scope of the NHS throughout our communities.
The first peak: Ben Nevis
Rosie’s adventure began in Glasgow where she was picked up by Global Adventures and was driven by coach to Fort William and a Youth Hostel at the bottom of Ben Nevis. Taking part alongside her was Mersey Care colleague, Lynda Taylor (Associate Director of Nursing and Patient Experience) and friend Liz Bowden who was raising money for Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
Following a briefing and a bed for the night, their alarms rang out at 4.30am to signal the imminent start of their first hike – a climb of 1,345 meters (4,413 feet) above sea level, making it the highest peak in the UK. The journey began around 6am. – on a calm and bright morning.
“The Ben Nevis section of the challenge was bathed in beautiful sunshine,” Rosie recalled when reflecting on the climb.
“The first incline was pretty steep; it was tough going, but as we ascended, we were rewarded with something incredible: a cloud inversion. It’s when you’re above the clouds, and the entire valley below is shrouded in mist while the sun rises, casting a golden glow. It was absolutely breathtaking.”
Lynda her hiking partner also looked back on the early stages of the challenge with fondness. "We were really lucky with the weather on Ben Nevis. The sun was out the whole way up, and the views were simply amazing.”
More challenging times lay ahead though, with the next climb taking place in complete darkness and then a race against the clock to the finish…
Scafell Pike – a challenge in the dark
Each peak presents its own unique landscape and climbing experience, adding to the richness of the overall adventure.
With Ben Nevis behind them, the team boarded a coach to Lancaster, then continued their journey to Scafell Pike, winding through the Lake District’s most narrow and twisting roads. The climb up Scafell was particularly demanding —undertaken in total darkness, and with a sudden change in weather making the already uneven terrain even trickier.
“The trouble with Scafell is once you get past the obvious path it’s a boulder field which you navigate by seeing the cairns in the distance (stone structures built as waymarks and memorials). When it’s dark though, you can’t see any, so you are relying completely on the guides who know the way,” Rosie shared.
“When we got to the top of Scafell it was literally blowing an absolute gale. It was a relief to get to the top, but I just thought, right, we just have to get back down now!”
As you’d expect from a tale of triumph over adversity, the descent was anything but straightforward. Battling fierce winds and navigating uneven, treacherous pathways, the challenge was made even more frustrating by the failure of technology.
“Both of my head torches failed and for a moment I thought, well, how am I going to get down the mountain now as I can’t see anything!”
The setback, although challenging in the moment, would become one of the event highlights for Rosie, who detailed the support and camaraderie from other fundraisers along the way.
“Thankfully, I met another wonderful member of the group who supported me by illuminating the path all the way down; she was a star. She would go ahead and then illuminate the path for me, every step of the way. She was amazing!”
“In adversity you get through things; we were tired and confused, it was hard, but we helped each other down. Proper teamwork.”
Safely back at the foot of Scafell, the team then made the 100 mile trip south to Snowdonia National Park to tackle the final peak of Mount Snowdon. Standing at 1,085 meters (3,560 feet) above sea level, Snowdon is the highest peak in Wales and typically takes between 4 to 6 hours to climb, depending on the chosen route.
Snowdon – a race to the finish
Thanks to Rosie’s SOS call to her boys, they arrived in time to support her should the worst happen, and the group couldn’t reach the summit.
“When I told them to set off, they were worried they wouldn’t find me in time—they basically ran up Snowdon to make sure they didn’t miss me!” Rosie laughed.
When Rosie learned that the mountain guide wouldn’t be taking the group to the Snowdon summit, her disappointment was palpable. “I felt so deflated. After everything, to be so close to finishing the challenge, and then to hear that… it was really tough.”
But then, out of the mist, like a scene from a film, her boys appeared.
“They gave me tea and sandwiches, helped me refuel, and then they took me to the top."
"Reaching the summit with them was incredible. It was such a special moment, standing there with my boys. The sense of achievement was overwhelming."
To close the story with a cinematic finish, Rosie didn’t just complete the climb—she surged ahead on the descent, overtaking the group she had left behind to reach the summit.
“After all the refuelling, I felt fantastic," she said. "I absolutely hurtled downhill, overtaking most of the groups along the way! It felt incredible to finish the challenge with my two boys by my side.”
A personal challenge achieved
Rosie's National Three Peaks challenge came about for of a number of reasons including wanting to do something positive in a challenging year, as well as showing others that they too can achieve things they never thought possible.
"I just thought ‘let’s make this year about something different'; about achieving something and not about being defined by what’s not going right. As well as being a physical challenge, it’s about overcoming something you think you really can’t do. I’m not any super-duper athlete or anything like that, I’m a middle-aged mother of two older boys. It’s role modelling for the younger generations; telling them that there are times in your life when things will be difficult, but if you get your head down you can do it; you can do anything.”
Rosie hopes her National Three Peaks adventure will inspire others to step outside their comfort zones and achieve what they once thought impossible. She also wants to challenge the idea that age or ability should hold anyone back from pursuing their goals. For Rosie, the experience reinforced the power of embarking on a challenge together, with friends—supporting one another while working towards a common goal.
“It’s about changing the narrative,” she explained. “You don’t have to buy into the idea that, as you get older, you become less fit or slow down. That doesn’t have to stop you. Getting out, exercising, walking with friends—those moments of camaraderie, wellbeing, shared achievement and working towards a goal—are incredibly powerful.
“Little physical health goals really do improve your mental health as well as adding to your fitness. It’s all about taking small steps at a time which can amount to significant lifestyle changes both physically and mentally.”
The power of fundraising
Spurred on by the support and generous sponsorship from family, friends, and colleagues, Rosie's passion and determination to complete the challenge and support Mersey Cares' work has been completely inspiring.
“It was such an incentive to not let anybody down who has supported you,” she said.
“People have been incredibly generous with their donations. It made it so much more worthwhile; even more than just the personal goal. Knowing the money is going into the Mersey Cares charity is just fantastic. I hope through reading this more people are encouraged to get involved where they can, as it really has been so beneficial.”
After leaving the rugged peaks of Snowdonia and completing her epic challenge, Rosie took some well-earned time off from work to spend with her sons. It was during this time that the reality of her achievement truly sank in.
“It was very surreal—looking back and thinking: ‘Did I really just do that?!’."It was absolutely amazing to achieve that; it gave me such a buzz."
What struck Rosie most was the transformation in her mindset. “I was really encouraged by the shift from thinking, ‘no, I can’t do that’ to ‘yes, I absolutely can!',
"If you put your mind to things, you really can achieve more than you believe.
"Now, if I hear my inner voice telling me I can't do something, I challenge it with, ‘well, yes, you can do this—you’ve just walked three mountains in a weekend'!”
