THREE teams of walking enthusiasts from Pershore took on a gargantuan challenge last week in the name of charity and they all came out on top.

Twelve members of staff from Allen Gears on Station Road, completed the popular but gruelling mountain climbing task, the Three Peaks Challenge, in aid of the Arthritis Research Campaign and Cancer Research UK.

Three groups of four, included three walkers and a driver to ferry them from Ben Nevis in Scotland, to Scafell Pike in England and finally to Wales' highest point, Mount Snowdon.

The trio of teams completed nearly 500 miles of driving and 25 miles of tough hill walking, all of which had to be done inside 24 hours in order to successfully complete the task.

All of the teams made it in the allotted time and raised more than £2,000 for charity in the process. The team of Russell Bishop, Nevil Trotter, Luke Fowler and Darren Pepper went one better though, when they completed the task in 19 hours and 58 minutes, breaking the 20-hour target they had set themselves.

John Curtis who organises the Three Peaks Challenge from Allen Gears said: "We have a good number of staff members who are looking to take part in the challenge every year, so numbers are never a problem.

"We managed to raise £2,600 last year and who knows, by the end we could manage to meet that figure again."

s Team members from Allen Gears who have completed the Three Peaks