A team of Staffordshire Police Federation members have battled 70mph winds to make it to the summit of Snowdon and raise £1,000 for a local men's mental health charity.
The cash will be used by Hanley-based Men Unite to fund a counsellor for men in crisis who would otherwise be forced to wait weeks for an NHS referral.
The intrepid walkers were led by husband and wife team Robert and Helen Kelsall and tackled the 1,085-metre peak on 17 October despite the howling gales.
Helen said: “We all stayed overnight and then we set off on Snowdon at 7.30am. The weather conditions were not great and we had 70mph winds.
“It was quite treacherous and some people were turning back but we managed to get to the top and back down in about five hours. We had a bit of prosecco and whiskey at the top to celebrate.”
Despite the gale force winds, Helen said the walkers, including colleagues from CID shift 2 which is based at One Smithfield in Hanley, were delighted to scale the highest mountain in Wales.
She said: “We did it and that’s great. It was really nice to do and it felt like a great achievement. And we raised £1,000 for Men Unite which is a cause that is very close to our hearts.
“More than anything we did it to raise awareness of the charity so it was an added bonus that we raised money at the same time.
“When I spoke to the charity earlier they said the money will go towards getting a counsellor immediately for somebody in mental health crisis rather than referring through the NHS and having to wait weeks and weeks to see someone.
“They will be able to employ a counsellor and get the immediate help which is so important.”
Men Unite was set up in the town in 2019 in an attempt to address the rising problem of suicide among men.
Its founders recognised that men were often unable to talk about their problems or drop their guard to let others know about their struggles, fears and secrets.
So they launched the charity to offer support and encouragement to men who are struggling to cope with life because of issues such as addiction to drugs, alcohol or gambling, men who have suffered a bereavement or separation or may be concerned about debt or financial problems.
Find out more about Men Unite.
