We are saying a big thank you two childhood friends who have raised over £3,000 after completing their grueling 192 mile Coast to Coast fundraiser in blistering heat this summer.

Teresa Crabb, who trained for the event at the Bannatyne Health Club in Peterborough, challenged herself along with her friend Karen Dowse to walk from St Bees in West Cumbria to Robin Hood’s Bay on the East Yorkshire coast.

The two friends who have known each other since they were five, worked together using only a map and compass to navigate themselves across the Lake District, Yorkshire Moors and the Yorkshire Dales.

Speaking why they chose to support the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance, Teresa said: “We have both lived our whole lives in villages all around Rural Lincolnshire and we both have had friends who have been involved in terrible accidents and needed the assistance of the LNAA.”

Hottest weather on record

On 7th July, in what was to become the hottest weather on record at times, they set off for St Bees, in anticipation of their walk across the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and Moors with no guide, just maps and a newly acquired knowledge of how to navigate with compass.

They soon realised dehydration was an issue, walking on hot days with very little shade, and although they took up to 2 litres of water with them every day, sometimes, this still wasn’t enough.

Teresa recalls: “The heat caused challenges especially in the first few days climbing those Lakeland fells. But the spectacular views at the top of the peaks of Stone Arthur, Fairfield and Great Rigg compensated.

One highlight was arriving at the cairns at Nine Standards Rigg, some 2172 ft above sea level. The trig point marks the watershed divide across England, from this point rivers flow west toward to Irish Sea and east towards the North Sea.  Once at the top it made us laugh to think that although the UK was talking of droughts there were plenty of bogs to be found up there!

We will never forget 19^th July. It was apparently the hottest day of all time in the UK, hitting 41 degrees. There was very little shelter and we were starting to worry about running out of water. Just then, we reached a gate with a box containing ice cooled water, what a life saver that was!”

Although the heat and the hills were taking their toll nothing was going to stop the ladies from completing their journey. Sixteen days after leaving St Bees they finally completed their fundraiser challenge and walked into Robin Hoods Bay, elated, hot, tired and with sore feet.

“It is absolutely brilliant what Teresa and Karen have done. To walk the Coast to Coast in itself is a remarkable feat, but to do it in such extreme heat is simply amazing, said Chris Bailey, Operations Manager for LNAA, on meeting the ladies when they recently visited the Headquarters.

They smashed their target of £1,000, raising over £3,000 by completing their heatwave hike fundraiser challenge.

It will cost around £8 million this year to run our lifesaving critical care service and as we receive no Government or NHS funding, we rely on the generous fundraising efforts of people like Teresa and Karen.   Thank you.