A TEAM of four Colchester men hiked up thousands of metres in a fundraising challenge for charity.

Nick Chisnall, 47, was joined by his son Josiah, 18, and two friends Jay Yu and Luke Harrison, to climb the Alps to raise money for Alzheimer’s Society earlier this month.

They each trained intensely for months, with leg weights, stair masters, and pushing and running with weights, before taking on the mountain challenge.

So far, they have raised £1,582 for their efforts.  

Challenge - From left to right: Jay, Luke, Nick and Josiah in the Alps. Challenge - From left to right: Jay, Luke, Nick and Josiah in the Alps. (Image: Nick Chisnall) Nick, a social work manager in Colchester, said: “It was a great experience and lovely to do, and we raised some good money for a good charity as well.

“We wanted to set ourselves a challenge.

“I wanted to do it, and it does make a difference to support Alzheimer’s Society—it was a real achievement.”

The team hiked from September 4 to 7, hiking over 56 kilometres and finishing up on Mount Blanc, which is the tallest mountain in the Alps.

Nick said: “It was quite exhilarating, because you’re above the clouds.

“We felt amazing, and our last day was a beautiful sunny day so we could see the snow on the top of the mountain.

“It was absolutely amazing.”

Happy - Nick (right) and his son Josiah enjoyed the time together. Happy - Nick (right) and his son Josiah enjoyed the time together. (Image: Nick Chisnall) Thankfully, all four men completed the gruelling challenge without any injuries.

“We’ve all recovered, and we miss it as well because you’re in nature, in the stillness and calm,” Nick added.

He was inspired to raise funds for the charity by his former military dad, Robin, who has been diagnosed with dementia and receives support from the Alzheimer’s Society.

Nick said: “I just wanted to raise awareness and do something for my dad, but also the charity as well.

“We wanted to encourage people to support dementia awareness and charities, as they do amazing work.

“We’ve had a lot of encouragement, support and donations from people who have got relatives with Alzheimer’s or dementia, but they can’t hike or do things like this so they’re rooting for us instead.

“It was a real achievement, and a wonderful experience.”

The Alzheimer’s Society is made up of people with dementia, carers, trusted experts, campaigners, researchers and clinicians.

To donate, search for Nick Chisnall on Go Fund Me.