A TEAM of fearless trekkers are set to raise more than £25,000 for Worthing’s St Barnabas House hospice after climbing Mount Snowdon.

The group of 41 challenge seekers, mainly from across West Sussex, set off from the hospice at 6am, arriving at Llanberis in north Wales early afternoon.

Following lunch and a safety briefing, the team started their ascent shortly after 3pm in the hope of reaching the summit of the 1,085 metre mountain in time for sunset to take in the breath-taking views of the Snowdonia National Park.

The trekkers were all making good progress until about halfway up the Llanberis Path when the weather took a turn for the worse.

As the team approached the summit, lashing rain and strong gusts of wind added an extra element of difficulty to the already challenging trek, but despite the conditions the majority of participants reached the summit within three and a half hours.

The team then descended the mountain in darkness with only head torches to light the way, and much to their relief the rain stopped and the wind dropped before they crossed the finish line back in Llanberis.

Most of the team completed the trek in less than seven hours, and at the finish they celebrated with breakfast and a glass of bubbly before travelling back overnight, arriving back in Worthing just over 24 hours after first setting off.

Lucy Brady, Events Fundraiser at St Barnabas House, said: “I am extremely proud of all of our trekkers. To reach the summit of Mount Snowdon in those conditions was an incredible achievement and a challenge for even experienced walkers.

“Capel Curig, which is a local village based approximately eight miles from Snowdon, recorded 34mm on rainfall on Saturday.

“The average monthly rainfall in Worthing for the whole of September is only 51mm, which shows what we had to contend with!

“I would like to say a massive thank you to all of the walkers who have contributed to raising an incredible amount of money for the hospice.

“Once all the sponsorship is received we are expecting to raise more than £25,000.”