Five peaks in five days for Rushden charity volunteers raising money for 'Operation: Raise the Roof'

Rusty and Rainbow each volunteer at Rush 2the den, a Rushden-based charity which supports people from a wide range of backgrounds, and on August 15 capped off a five-day journey which saw them scale 5,339ft of elevation over five of the district’s most iconic and challenging peaks.

Day one saw the pair take on Chrome Hill, and day two was the tallest of them all as Rusty and Rainbow summited the district’s highest point, Kinder Scout. Day three was a circular walk to the top of Mam Tor, day four saw them tackle Shining Tor, before completing the challenge atop Win Hill, overlooking Ladybower Reservoir.

Rainbow said: “We need to get a second storey so we can help more people, and we thought ‘what can we do to help that fundraising?’

“It was really tough going at times, we got to Thursday and we were sat in the car thinking ‘we don’t want to get out the car’, but we knew we were doing it for this place and just got on with it.

“Once you finish each climb you realise it’s worth it, and we’re doing it for a good cause.

“It was very, very rewarding.”

Rusty added: “It’s local enough that it didn’t feel like too much of a stretch to go out and drive there and pitch up camp, and also meant it was close enough that we could do a trial run in April, that was when we got ourselves into something we knew we wouldn’t necessarily enjoy all of the time.”

It was intended to be a ‘one-and-done’ and they made a pact that if they raised more than the £5.10 collected at a local family fun day, they would be happy as it would be ‘a good start.’

Their challenge has now raised just shy of £400, which has come from the online fundraiser, as well as in-person donations.

The pair had summitted Pen Y Fan in south Wales last year, and decided to up the ante and ‘go big or go home’ with this year’s journey by taking on each peak on consecutive days.

They ended atop Win Hill on day five, overlooking the sunset.

Nina ‘River’ Robinson, founder of Rush 2The Den said: “They are amazing and really doing well with this challenge they set themselves, especially just two weeks after the Youth Club Challenge week where they and our amazing young people walked 65 miles to complete the Northumberland coastal path.”

Rush 2the Den started in summer 2014 as a youth club, and in the time since has blossomed into a place which has become a lifeline for people of all walks of life. From the charity’s enduring youth club, to its LGBT+ support group, and its StayNPlay sessions for parents, the charity based in Fitzwilliam Street supports more than 6,300 people.

Though Rusty and Rainbow have conquered the five summits in the Peak District, the pair admit they’re ‘hilled out’ for now, after conquering almost 5,500ft over the course of five days.

Rush 2the Den’s fundraiser is still live, and can be found here.