How Three Brothers Conquered 5 Peaks in 48 Hours for Mental Health Awareness
On 16th August, Atticus, Alex, and Arthur completed the 5 Peaks Challenge in loving memory of their mother, Gabrielle and brother Alfred. They conquered five iconic peaks—Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike, Snowdon, Slieve Donard in Northern Ireland, and Carrauntoohil in the Republic of Ireland—all within an impressive 48 hours!
BrainWaves is deeply honoured and tremendously grateful that their family chose to donate the sponsorship raised from this challenge to support our mission. We spoke with the three brothers shortly after they conquered Carrauntoohil, the final peak, to talk about their journey and their thoughts on taking on such a monumental task.
Reflecting on their climb, both mentally and physically, Atticus shared, “It’s a great feeling to be up in the mountains. People are so friendly, and although it’s a bit of a cliche, it does feel like a very happy space. It was a big deal, and we made this challenge hard for ourselves, doing the whole thing in 48 hours, but seeing the people who go up there regularly and chatting with people who go up there once a week, it seems like this is a great habit to have. It was a really amazing thing to do.”
By taking on this challenge, they have raised over £100,000 for BrainWaves with donations coming from over 385 different supporters. Talking about how integral this support was in their journey, they shared, “We had this Whatsapp group chat of family and friends of around 300 people who were all sending a lot of support. I definitely think the main motivating factor was doing this climb for a cause but having all the support and seeing all those people saying, “Go on team, you’ve got this!” definitely helped in a big way.”
They added, “It was great to see everyone cheering us on. Seeing people contributing to the Just Giving page was amazing, and reading comments from people we hadn’t heard from for a while definitely felt like a bringing together of our little community in the world, which has been great. People have been, in quite unexpected ways, invested in the whole thing. We had people submitting Spotify playlists for us to listen to in the car, on the mountains, and sending us voice notes. It’s been really amazing in a way that I don’t think any of us quite expected, and very humbling. And we’re doing this in memory of our brother. So hopefully it’s something he’ll be proud of wherever he is now, looking down watching us.”
Atticus, Alex, and Arthur spoke about their decision to take on a challenge like this, and how having a set goal in mind can help you achieve something that you’ve never done before, “I think even if it’s something which is not that familiar to you, for example none of us are historic mountaineers or anything, we took the challenge on together. Doing it with other people so you’re on the journey together was a big thing. So we’re supporting each other, plus we also have an amazing support network of family and friends, pushing and helping us.”
When asked how being out in nature and engaging in physical activity impacted their wellbeing, Arthur noted, “I think from a wellbeing perspective, it does tick lots of boxes because you’re in nature, which sounds cliche, but it is true, being out there is so nice. Plus, I think the feeling of setting yourself a challenge, and the feeling of achievement when you finish, is a pretty amazing thing. I think we were all really excited about it, and it was really bonding for us all.”
Atticus added, “The biggest change for me was integrating exercise regularly into my daily routine. It is something that I think I will continue as it has made a really big difference. And that’s what we mean by just setting yourself the challenge because once you’ve set the challenge, and when you start telling people about it, you’re then committed to it. It will give you that motivation that you need. So just go for that run with an extra half an hour in your day.”
Commenting on the experience of physically climbing these peaks, Atticus said, “It was a pretty cool experience, climbing all five peaks. Going to Snowdonia, the Lake District, Ben Nevis in Scotland, the mountains in Northern Ireland, and then the mountains of Cary. Five of the most beautiful parts of the British Isles. I had never seen them before, so seeing all five within the space of 48 hours was pretty amazing. It was uplifting and pretty awesome to experience them all in such a short period of time.”
Arthur added, “Yeah, there were a few moments where, those two being slightly bigger than me were at the top of the mountain, and could hear me coming up shouting at myself like ‘Why isn’t this mountain done yet?’”
Tackling a mountain, both physically and emotionally, speaks to the mental health journey that all young people experience. Commenting on this, the brothers said, “I think that, using the mountain as a metaphor, sometimes it’s not useful looking all the way up to the top of the mountain, because that’s not going to help you in the immediate present. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other. And that was definitely something I applied multiple times over the challenge. That’s all you need to do, just keep putting one foot in front of the other, and things will change positively. Sometimes you get to the top of the mountain, and then you’re on the other side. You don’t need to think too big picture. Just try and focus on what you can control now, which is putting one foot in front of the other.”
We would once again like to thank Atticus, Alex, Arthur and their father Nick (who did all the driving between the mountains) for taking the time to speak with us, and for their incredible support. You can visit their Just Giving page and donate here.
