Wigan 20-year-old to climb equivalent of Everest twice for charity close to her heart
A super-fit Wigan 20-year-old is planning to scale 31 British peaks in as many days during July to raise money for a cause very special to her.
Safi Aykol’s dad Yildirim was diagnosed with bowel cancer in November 2022 and there followed major surgery, gruelling courses of chemotherapy and, finally, an op to have his stoma bag reversed.
With the 57-year-old ordeal now hopefully over (there will be years of follow-up checks), the former Standish High School pupil wants to celebrate with a charity challenge in aid of Bowel Cancer UK.
And she has certainly set herself a steep one: scaling the equvalent of two Mount Everests in a month.
Often accompanied by family and friends, Safi is planning to hike up 31 pikes of varying sizes – including the highest in England, Scotland and Wales – during July.
It’s a total of around 16,000m and the money is already beginning to roll in to her JutGiving page.
Safi, who gave up her receptionist job at Preston’s BMW garage to take a gap year and take on this money-spinning adventure, said: “I’m very active and do like walking and hiking. I can’t sit through a movie: I’ve got itchy feet.
"So when my dad’s treatment ended, putting that energy to the test and to good use seemed like a bright idea.
"When I started planning this I thought I’d been on my own for most of it but it’s been a nice surprise that so many family and friends have offered to join me on some of the hikes.
"I’m doing quite a few in the Lake District, including Scafell and Helvellyn, a couple in the Peak District and my mum Carol is joining me for four in Scotland including Ben Nevis. I’m aiming to do the Yorkshire Three Peaks (Ingleborough, Whernside and Pen-y-ghent) in one day so then I can have a couple of days off! And we finish in Wales with a big bang and Mount Snowdon.
"Rivington Pike is on the schedule and I would love it if my dad could join me for that one.
"He is the funniest and most caring person I know, always cracking jokes and looking out for me, my mum and my sister. He is the last person I know who deserves to go through what he has endured for the last year and a half of his life.
"Bowel cancer is one of the most common kinds of cancer, with cases more than doubling in the last 50 years. Bowel Cancer UK is the UK's leading bowel cancer charity. They fund targeted research, provide expert information and support to patients and their families, educate the public and professionals about the disease and campaign for early diagnosis and access to best treatment and care.
“I would appreciate any donations, great or small, as support for my challenge. If you are interested you can keep up with my progress on Instagram or Facebook where I will be sharing daily updates about where I am in the UK, which peak I am climbing that day and photos of the trails up and down!”