Elland sisters complete Three Peaks challenge in memory of ‘warrior’ grandfather

Emily Hopkinson, 32, and sister Olivia, 28, challenged themselves to walk 24 miles in 12 hours over the famous Yorkshire Three Peaks to raise money in memory of her grandfather Michael Hammond who passed away in December 2021.

Michael was born with only one, very small, kidney and experienced a number of illnesses which meant that when it started to fail six years ago, he was unable to have undergo any treatment.

“We wanted to honour Grandad’s memory and do something that would make him proud of us” Emily said.

“Being able to raise awareness of Kidney Care UK is also really important to us because not many people understand the importance of your kidneys or of this charity so we wanted to raise as much awareness and money as we can.”

The pair faced gale force winds of 50/60mph which just made everything so much harder.

But the sisters battled through the challenges and completed the Yorkshire Three Peaks in nine hours and 30 minutes

Their step counter read 52,380 steps and they walked the equivalent of 539 flights.

Lizee Graham, Challenge Events Manager at Kidney Care UK, said: “We believe that everyone with kidney disease should be able to live their lives to the full and it sounds like Michael really embodied this.

“We’re incredibly touched that Emily and Olivia have chosen to take part in this challenge in his memory, whilst raising money and awareness to help us support more people affected by kidney disease across the UK.”

Emily and Olivia are hoping to raise £3,000 for Kidney Care UK.

To donate visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Emily-Hopkinson3