Derbyshire alpine trek challenge team beat fundraising target

Three friends from Derbyshire have raised nearly £2,000 by completing a trek through the Alps.

Reece Henderson, Daniel Heywood and James Raynor walked from Mont Blanc to the Matterhorn in Switzerland.

The 10-day, 124-mile challenge saw them climb over 50,000ft in elevation and beat their £1,000 target for mental health charity Mind in Derbyshire.

They described the experience as "gruelling" but they came out with a "much stronger bond".

The trio had been training for two years, walking local parks and pathways, but told BBC Radio Derby the trek was still difficult.

Mr Heywood, 26, from Oakwood, said: "It was a big struggle, we really had to push hard throughout it.

"But we kept each other going and we got there."

Mr Henderson, 25, from Codnor, said: "The hardest part was definitely day five, which was our longest day.

"Absolutely gruelling, 14 hours of walking in total over twice the elevation of Ben Nevis, it was really difficult."

Mr Raynor, 27, from Ilkeston, added: "Most days we thought 'we can't do this'.

"The hard part was getting up each day and be facing doing exactly the same thing.

"But any time people go through adversity, they tend to create a much stronger bond."

They returned on Monday and all three were back at their jobs on Tuesday.

In choosing to raise money for Mind, they drew on personal experience.

Mr Henderson said: "We see people of our age struggling. I know lots of friends that have struggled at school and throughout life.

"And especially in today's world, it can all be a bit crazy."

All three help run a group called Head for the Wild, which organises community walks to promote fitness and mental health.

Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].