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11 October 11 Brakspear tenant completes Highland Challenge Open
Brakspear tenant completes Highland Challenge
John Riddell, tenant of Brakspear pub The Fat Fox Inn, Watlington, tested his fitness to the full recently by completing the Invesco Perpetual Highland Challenge - a gruelling combination of 44-milecycle ride, 5-mile canoe paddle and a run up Ben Nevis all carried out in two days in Scotland.
John and his team of five co-participants including supporters, also from Watlington, raised money for the Mitchemp Trust, a charity which aims to help young vulnerable adults from rural areas. Through the generous sponsorship from clients, family and friends including activities in the pub such as raffles and a 'guess the finishing time' challenge, the team raised £5890 and overall the event raised £135,000.
After the event, John said, "Taking part in this challenge was an amazing experience - physically and mentally demanding, but also enormously satisfying. We're extremely grateful to everyone at the pub who supported us and who donated so generously. Our thanks also to our colleague Jonny, who climbed the Ben with us, and his father Malcolm who drove our van and supported us throughout." The team completed the race in 12 hours, 24 minutes, coming seventh out of the 37 teams to finish the course.
The Mitchemp Trust is a cause close to John's heart, as he explained, "I grew up in Canada and spent several summers at camps with other young people, some of them from troubled backgrounds. So I've seen firsthand how this 'adventure training' experience can build confidence, self-esteem and pride in oneself. For some of the guys I spent my summers with, these key building blocks in life were simply not available at home or school."
The Highland Challenge is unique as a fundraising event as the cost of the activities is completely underwritten by Invesco Perpetual, so all funds raised go to the Trust.
Caption to image: (l-r) Justin Gaze, John Riddell, Malcolm Vaughan, Jonny Vaughan, Kristian Overend & Murray Bishop
Brakspear offers pubs for rent or lease, many of them in Henley or Oxfordshire.
