Wigan lads scale Snowdon with flag of friend's face who sadly passed away
A group of 12 Wigan lads scaled Wales’s highest peak to raise money for charity three years after the death of their close friend.
Robert (Bob) Wilcock was a 35-year-old joint connector and a father of three when he sadly died by suicide in 2023.
Bob’s friend, Simon Lock, described him as “Mad as a box of frogs, always up for a laugh, he always had a smile on his face but then those are the ones that you don’t expect these things to happen to and he obviously battled with some demons that we didn’t know about.”
Bob is survived by his three children; Jaden, Charlie and Olivia.
To honour Bob’s memory, Simon decided to get a group of 12 friends together and climb up Mount Snowdon to raise money for Andy’s Man Club in memory of Bob.
Andy’s Man Club is a UK-wide mental health and suicide prevention charity that provides free, weekly, peer-to-peer support groups for men aged 18 and over. Operating under the motto "It's Okay To Talk," the organisation provides a confidential, non-judgmental space for men to share their experiences, discuss their struggles, or simply listen.
On how the day went, Simon said: “There was a lot of complaining about how sore our knees and joints were and it took us about four and a half hours in total but it was a really good day and we had a good laugh.”
The group went up wearing their Andy’s Man Club T-shirts and flew a flag with Bob’s face on it.
Simon said: “It was nice, we had a little emotional moment at the top and then carried on to get back down.”
The group have now raised over £3,000 through a mix of donations and sponsorships which has been helped by local businesses getting involved.
Additionally, they also hosted a fund-raiser event at their local pub, The Spinners Arms, which included a raffle.
The group of friends will be continuing their hiking journey with a planned walk up Scafell Pike in the Lake District in August with the possibility of more adventures next year.