Real Life Stories

ukTeam Stag Challenge

Team Stag on Ben Nevis

Ian Poulter’s wedding in 2011 presented him and his closest friends with the opportunity to arrange a Stag Party like no other. A regular stag do usually involves getting a group of friends together and going quad-biking, paintballing or out for a night on the town – at least, this is what Ian’s friends had imagined.

They were understandably surprised, therefore, when Ian told them he’d decided to take on the 3 Peaks Challenge for his stag to raise as much money as possible for Malaria No More UK. The challenge is not for the faint-hearted: Starting in the dizzy heights of Scotland, it involves climbing Ben Nevis (4,409ft) before heading south to take on the might of Scarfell Pike (3,209ft). If this wasn’t enough, challengers then carry on further south to climb Snowden (3,560ft). The extra dimension to this challenge is that teams must aim to complete this inside 24 hours!

a great achievement for all involved

Ian and his two brothers, plus five friends, formed Team Stag Challenge and set the ambitious fundraising target of over £1,000, inviting friends and family to sponsor them via their online sponsorship page. Despite encountering terrible weather conditions en route and their sat nav directing them through the centre of Glasgow during rush hour, they ended up impressing their many supporters as three of the team members managed to complete the challenge within the allotted 24 hours, with two finishing on 24hrs 15 minutes and the remaining two finishing on the 25 hour mark. You’ll be pleased to learn that the Stags were rewarded for their success with a couple of celebratory nights out in Cardiff.

Of the experience, Ian said it was “a great achievement for all involved, but a lot harder than we had imagined!”