A FAMILY of four is preparing to climb the three highest mountains in England, Scotland and Wales on Monday.

Ian and Caroline Pickstock are taking on the national Three Peaks Challenge with their children – Morgan and Ffion - in memory of two loved ones they sadly lost in a short space of time last year.

Their 72-year-old grandfather and former mechanical engineer, Roger Rose, lost his battle against Sepsis on January 20, 2018. And just five days later, Neil Pickstock, 42, tragically took his own life leaving his younger brother and the rest of his family devastated.

Ffion Pickstock, 8, said: “Grandad Rose was special to us because he did lots of stuff with us like having picnics, going camping, and walking.”

Her older brother Morgan, 10, added: “Uncle Neil was special because he was our uncle, we saw him at Gran's and used to go on the big slide with him. He inspired me to do climbing.

“We have worked so hard for this and have been training for it for months. We are a determined family that never gives up and we always try to achieve our goals and dreams. It will be tough, but we will get to the top of every mountain no matter what.”

The family of four from Holywell will begin their adventure on Monday, July 22, when the quartet head to Scotland to climb the tallest mountain in Britain, Ben Nevis (1345m).

They will then ascend England’s 978m Scafell Pike in the Lake District National Park on Tuesday, before returning to Wales to climb Mount Snowdon (1085m) on the final day.

In a last piece of training before the challenge, Caroline and Morgan undertook a gruelling 10-mile walk to school from their home in Holywell to Ysgol Cae’r Nant in Connah’s Quay - a journey taking around three-and-a-half hours for the pair.

Caroline, 38, said: “We're really proud of Morgan and Ffion for wanting to raise money to help others.

“Despite losing two close family members last year they have such determination to complete the challenge and to help others. We're all excited for the challenge ahead. It's not going to be an easy task for any of us, but we are determined to succeed.”

The Pickstock’s are hoping to raise a target total of £1,500 from donations which will go towards raising funds and awareness for The UK Sepsis Trust and The Outward Bound Trust.

Speaking about their choice of charities, Caroline added: “We have chosen the Sepsis Trust to raise awareness of the condition that affected Dad.

“He was our hero, and an incredible man who achieved so much in his life. Thank you to everyone who has supported us to raise the incredible amount of money we have done so far.”

Ian, 39, said: “The second charity we have chosen is The Outward Bound Trust because Neil had a love for the outdoors and was well known for inspiring others too.

“He was someone I used to do everything with when we were younger, and someone I truly looked up to. So, thank you to everyone who has contributed to our cause so far.”

If you would like to support the Pickstock family in their charitable climbing challenge, you can find their fundraising campaign on www.justgivingcom.