Schoolboys scale Ben Nevis as part of their Three Peaks Challenge
Abe Yantin, Jonah Horne, Malakai Shaffer and Ben Goodkind conquer Scotland's highest mountain
Andrew Sherwood is the Jewish News Sport and Community Editor
Four schoolboys have completed the second part of their Three Peaks Challenge – which will see them climb the three highest mountains in Wales, Scotland and England to raise funds for several different charities
Looking to raise more than £20,000 from their three climbs – which they’re undertaking over three years – Yavneh College students Abe Yantin, Jonah Horne and Malakai Shaffer, together with Highgate School pupil Ben Goodkind scaled Mount Snowdon last year, negotiated Ben Nevis last week and will be climbing Scafell Pike next year.
Describing how they came up with the idea, Malakai says: “We decided last year, in our barmitzvah year, to do something a little different and raise money in the memory of my sister Lenni, who was still born. I convinced my friends to join me in climbing Snowdon and we successfully raised more than £7,000 for SANDS, a charity which supports families who experience a still born baby.”
They decided to split the funds raised from their second climb between OCD action and Brain Tumour Research, after Malakai’s eight-year-old cousin Roi was diagnosed with a brain tumour and is currently undergoing treatment to try and beat the disease.
Saying how their second climb was a lot harder, Abe said: “It was tough, the weather was terrible and got so bad that when we got to the top they closed the mountain and told us to get straight back down again. It was a lot harder, the terrain was a challenge, plus our dads are a year older and we had to wait for them to catch up!”
Delighted to be raising money for such worthwhile causes, Jonah said: “We’ve just added another £6,500 to our funding total and are now planning our third ascent!”
And looking ahead to the third and final leg of their challenge, Ben added: “We’re planning it for next spring and are currently thinking which charity would benefit from it. We’re hoping to achieve at least £6,500 again to hit a combined total of £20,000”
Abe’s father, Jon, said: “This challenge was all the boys’ idea and was a real physical challenge. They really do see themselves as fortunate to be healthy teenagers and able to enjoy an incredible range of sporting and cultural activities. There are children out there that are not so lucky and struggling with physical and mental challenges, which means they can’t do what the boys can. We are really proud of what they have achieved. ”We’re extremely grateful to Abe, Ben, Jonah and Malakai for supporting us and our work. This is a tough challenge and they should be really proud of what they have achieved.”
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