A GROUP of 30 friends and family have raised £7,000 after scaling the Yorkshire Three Peaks in memory of Michael Dent who died earlier this year, nine years after being diagnosed with cancer.

Having completed the same challenge one year ago, Michael's family and friends decided to take on Penyghent, Whernside and Ingleborough  once more to raise money for Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice in memory of Michael, who last year took part, completing the peaks in an impressive time of eight and a half hours.

Chris Dent, 33 from Silsden, said: “My brother Michael was diagnosed with skin cancer in 2014 and sadly he died in July this year after being cared for by Sue Ryder Nurses in his home, which is what he wanted.

“In October 2022 we hiked the Yorkshire Three Peaks with Michael and friends and family. It was an incredible challenge and Michael was well enough to complete it in an amazing eight and a half hours. After he died, we wanted to do something in Michael’s memory, but also to raise money for Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice after the care and support they gave.

“The care Michael received from Sue Ryder Nurses in his last few weeks was absolutely phenomenal, I know my parents really appreciated having everything taken care of so they could focus on just being there for Michael. We wanted to show our gratitude and respect by raising money to help Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice continue with their incredibly important work.

“Michael really enjoyed raising money for different causes – he even did a skydive a few years ago, so I know he would have been proud. Doing it the second time without him was definitely harder, but knowing why we were doing it spurred us on. We had a group of about 30 of us taking part, which just shows how many people’s lives Michael touched."

Chris added: “We have raised just short of £7,000 for Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice, which I am over the moon about. We originally set a target for £2,000, so to have surpassed it by this amount is quite crazy. Thank you to everyone who has supported us.”

Liv Moffat, senior community fundraiser at Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice, said: “The challenge Chris and his friends and family have taken on for Michael is just incredible. We are so grateful to Chris for fundraising for Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice, meaning we can continue to be there for people when it matters.”

To donate, go to: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/michael-dent-yorkshire-three-peaks-2023