A TEAM tackled the three of the highest peaks in the UK to raise money for a charity set up in memory of an inspirational teenager.

Climbers, led by Emma Bowdidge, scaled Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon within 24 hours.

The group, which is raising cash for the Tom Bowdidge Foundation, managed to raise more than £5,000 and completed the challenge with just ten minutes to spare.

The foundation was set up to continue the fundraising work of former Colchester Royal Grammar School student Tom Bowdidge from West Bergholt, who died fighting an aggressive stomach cancer in 2013. He was 19.

His sister Emma, 25, said: “It was amazing. We were incredibly lucky with the weather but a few of the team did get caught in some showers.

“The camaraderie on the mountains was brilliant between both our team and other teams trekking the mountains as they recognised our t-shirts from the mountains they’d seen us on before.”

The trek is part of the teacher’s courageous 25 challenges in one year, which she is due to complete in October.

The team also included Tim West, Lucy West, Niamh Pennington, Steve Pennington, Charlotte Hawkins, Matt Hawkins, Ellee Dowell, Luke Houlding, Jenny Purves, April Best, Sally Smith and Neil Hildred.

Her mum Nikki was a member of the support team. She said: “It was tight, there was no time to waste. It was truly amazing, my clearest memory was watching one team walk up Scafell Pike in the dark and coming down in the dark- that was taking it to the absolute limit.

“The ground was unsteady and they could only snatch a couple of hours sleep in the van, they did brilliantly.

“Emma found Scafell Pike really hard but she really drew on the fact she was doing it for her brother.”

Emma and three others completed the challenge in 23 hours and 50 minutes, whereas the rest of the team came in a few hours later.

Mrs Bowdidge said: “It was just surreal and it was definitely an experience, people don’t understand the enormity of it.”

The donation page is still active. To contribute, visit uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ team/TBFThreePeaks.

The charity has also been shortlisted to be Charity of the Year at Sainsbury’s in Stanway.

Nikki, of Firmins Court, said: “Sainsbury’s supported us in our first year when we were only a few months old. It launched us to the heights we are now.

“Our name was known and people quickly found out who we were, it was an amazing start.”

Since starting up the family has raised more than £500,000. Mrs Bowdidge left her job as a teacher in July last year to work for the charity full time and hopes it will be chosen out of the top three Sainsbury’s charities to receive more support.

Vote in store and online www.sainsburyslocalcharity.co.uk between June 12 and 25.

The Tom Bowdidge Foundation was founded and launched by Tom’s parents on what would have been Tom’s 20th birthday.

Its aim is to fund research and to support teenage cancer sufferers.