A Cwmbran man is going to climb Ben Nevis…at night.
Jason Vowles, from St Dials, is doing the adventure up the highest mountain in the British Isles to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. His JustGiving page explains why he is doing this challenge:
“I’m doing this for an absolute legend; my grandad. Taught me everything I know and was the kindest man. Cancer lasted for a very long time and so did the suffering. The more help someone gets through a really dark time, the better, so I plan to raise as much money as possible! He always appreciated nature on his many travels and so I thought it apt to get a real nice view of it from Britain’s tallest peak!”
Jason told how he is preparing to get to the peak: “I previously ran a 10km Beast in the East for Macmillan so my fitness is there but I’m hiking around my favourite parts of the hills surrounding Cwmbran as well as the Brecon Beacons. I make sure I don’t skip my legs in the gym either.
“I’m actually afraid of heights and only just recently hiked up Pen-Y-Fan which was awesome. I have an entire A4 sized checklist to take to the start of the climb but I’m pretty sure the organisers will be providing the absolute essentials such as a torch.
“I’ve chosen to go on my own but I’m fully backed by my work colleagues at Proxima in Cwmbran. The brilliant thing is, Proxima’s chosen charity is Macmillan Cancer Support. They help to advertise and fundraise for your challenge and organise it among the other offices. The network for it is great and obviously it’s an amazing charity. I’ve ultimately decided to do something solo after the 10km I’d done earlier this year.”
The Ben Nevis climb should take three to five hours
“As far as travelling to Scotland, I’ll be taking a short flight from Bristol which is far cheaper than the train I can tell you. From Glasgow, where I land, there will be a meet up at the train station before a three hour drive up to Ben Nevis by coach. There, me and others from around the country, will take part in a hike that will probably take us between three to five hours on the ascent.
“The descent is arduous but quicker, taking an hour or two less by which point I will be demolishing a full fry up. Immediately after I plan to get the plane back to Bristol and then back to Cwmbran for a well-earned nap!”
Jason’s grandad, David
Jason spoke about his grandad, David: “He was the man. As far as his history goes, he was born in Treharris and raised in Merthyr Tydfil. He was everything from a shop assistant, police officer in the Army, a taxi driver and a lorry driver. He got to see a lot of Britain and Europe on his travels especially and always remarked on how beautiful it was. He was a huge fan of rugby and spaghetti westerns.
“The best thing about him was that he was not just a grandad but a dad as well and taught me everything from DIY, to the rules of rugby and the best of Rock ‘n’ Roll music. I’m proud to have known him for the 17 years I got.”
Jason’s challenge is on Saturday 9 August. Visit his JustGiving page to sponsor him.