'˜Week of hell' sees Bourne and Peterborough pub bosses raise thousands

Tom Bellis, right, and Sam Edley carry their barrel of beer on Mount Snowdon

Tom Bellis, general manager of Sugar Mill pub in Bourne, and Keith Fletcher, who runs the Apple Cart pub in Peterborough, joined forces to raise money for Help for Heroes.

They took it upon themselves to undertake a week of crazy challenges.

Tom, 32, began on Sunday, September 4, with the Man vs Mountain adventure race in Wales. He and brother Matthew took on the 22-mile course.

Tom Bellis, Sam Edley and Keith Fletcher

The next day, Tom was joined by Keith and his colleague Sam Edley, and together they cycled from Newcastle to Carlisle while towing a barrel of beer.

On Tuesday, September 6, the pair climbed 3,560 ft to the summit of Snowdon, in Wales, while carrying the barrel on a stretcher and the day after they jumped out of a plane over Cumbria.

On Thursday, September 7, they climbed Scafell Pike, the highest mountain in England, again with the barrel, and the following day they climbed Ben Nevis in Scotland – the highest mountain in British Isles.

On the Saturday, Tom and Keith will completed the Tough Mudder obstacle course in Cheshire, before finishing the hugely difficult ‘Week of Madness’ with the Great North Run on the Sunday.

Tom, whose fear of heights was put to the test during the sky dive, said: “I was dreading the sky dive out of all the challenges.

“I really don’t like heights so just letting myself fall at 12,000 feet was something that I couldn’t get over I was doing!

“The whole week has been exhausting but it has been so rewarding and I can’t thank every enough already for their support throughout – it has helped pull me through!”

Keith, whose ultimate challenge of the week was the Great North Run, added: “The Great North Run was always in the back of my mind all week; we were both emotionally and physically drained from the week that it was the final hurdle for us, but we did it and I knew I had to finish for the charity and that’s what kept me going.”

Tom and Keith both manage Marston’s pubs and invited staff at others across the country to do similar fundraising events for Help for Heroes.

So far, the team have raised an impressive £25,000, but they hope to raise at least £38,000 in total.

To donate, visit www. justgiving.com/fundraising/keith-fletcher2