A team of 11 Ilkley women did a non-stop climb of the highest peaks in England, Scotland and Wales to raise more than £5,000 for a cancer charity and schoolgirl Bel Young, who was left paralysed after a fall from a climbing frame.

The women have thanked the hundreds of friends and relatives who supported their efforts in one of the toughest walking challenges the UK has to offer.

The team consisted of: Judith Atkinson, Elle Bradley, Jules Burnett, Poonam Cant, Yvonne Craig, Judy Cunnington, Sarah Herd, Jane Paul, Lis Scull, Catherine Tench and Kathleen Tong.

Everyone in the team has been touched by someone close to them suffering from cancer and they wanted to do something positive about it by raising valuable funds for Cancer Research UK.

The group also chose to support a purely local cause in The Being Bel Trust. The trust, which has attracted support from people across Wharfedale in recent months, was set up to help provide future care and facilities for former Ilkley schoolgirl Bel Young.

Bel suffered a broken neck in a fall from a garden climbing frame, leaving her tetraplegic and relying on a ventilator The team set out from the base of Ben Nevis at lunchtime on Saturday, June 25, tackled Scafell in Cumbria through the night, and finally reached the summit of Snowdon an exhausting 24 hours after they began their challenge.

Jane Paul said: “We’re all so proud of our achievement, and would like to thank the hundreds of friends and family that have supported us both in the challenge and our fundraising. We’d also like to thank Advocate Events, who so brilliantly managed and supported us, providing mountain guides, transport, food, and patience to get us all through it.”

The hikers celebrated in style at Ilkley Lawn Tennis and Squash Club last Friday with a fundraising dinner with entertainment and dancing.

Anyone wanting to contribute to Cancer Research UK in support of the team can do so online at justgiving/teams/threepeaksnosleeps. There are also collection tins at the offices of Dacre, Son and Hartley for The Being Bel Trust.