Peterborough postwoman climbs Snowdon three times in one day raising £10,000 for charity rescuing dogs

A Peterborough postwoman has climbed Mount Snowdon three times in one day to raise £10,000 for a charity rescuing and rehoming dogs from Greece.

Sophie Antonucci ascended and descended the 1,085 metre mountain in Snowdonia – the tallest in Wales – on Monday (July 18).

The 44-year-old, from Werrington, was accompanied by a team of walkers, aged between 18 and 67, who all took on the huge feat for a cause close to their hearts.

UK heatwave

It took Sophie and her team 16 hours in total to complete the 27-mile walk as temperatures soared during the heatwave this week, reaching 36 degrees on the mountain.

“The weather played a big part on the day because we had to adjust our timings,” Sophie said. "We were originally supposed to start at five o’clock in the morning, but we changed it to one o’clock in the morning instead.

“We completed one of the climbs done in the dark, which helped because we avoided some of the heat in the day. We finished at 5.30am the following day.”

£10,000 raised

The ‘Snowdon Barking Mad Trek 2022’ raised £10,000 for the Starlight Barking Trust – a charity partnered with the Lemnos Dog Shelter, in Greece.

It rescues, rehabilitates and rehomes stray dogs who are in need of a place to call home.

Sophie, who has been a postwoman in Peterborough for almost ten years, was inspired to do something to raise money for the charity after meeting its founder, Wendy Lyotier, and her rescue dog Jack while delivering post to her Maxey home.

"Jack only ever previously lived in a shelter since he was a puppy,” Sophie said. “He was scared and didn’t know how to act in his new environment.

"He took to me and when I saw him a year on and saw the transformation that had been made you could see why it’s so important to give these dogs a second chance.

"I love dogs and in January I went to volunteer on an island in Columbia. There was a stray dog on the side of the road in such a poor state – it was heart-breaking. I thought I needed to do something.”

‘The money will be well spent’

Sophie and her team have managed to raised £5,017, which Wendy and the Starlight Barking Trust managed to find a sponsor to match – raising £10,000 for the charity in total.

"It seemed an unrealistic target at first and I never thought we would be able to raise that amount,” Sophie said.

"How Wendy is as a person is the reason why I wanted to do it for her. I know how much she cares about the dogs and the money will be well spent.

“Without the group and everybody involved, I don’t think we would’ve been as successful or raised the money that we have for the charity.”

You can still donate to the Starlight Barking Trust via Sophie’s Snowdon Barking Mad Trek 2022 Just Giving page.