For most people, taking on the National Three Peaks Challenge is brutal enough. For 11-year-old Ted Haslam, it was something even bigger.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Over the course of a gruelling 30-hour mission, Ted was carried and pushed across the highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales by his dad and a team of family and friends — not just to reach the summits, but to prove that a wheelchair should never define what someone can and cannot do.
And behind every step of the challenge was a much deeper reason.
Ted and his father, Pete Haslam, took on the mammoth feat to raise money for Molly Ollys — the charity that supported Ted and his family during the darkest period of their lives when he was fighting cancer as a toddler.
Ted was just three years old when his life changed forever.
After complaining of back pain, his condition quickly escalated.Pete remembers how suddenly things took a turn.
Speaking to the Stratford Observer, Pete said: “His back was hurting but he was only young and couldn’t articulate what the problem was – but on this particular morning, his legs just stopped working. Turns out the tumour was doubling in size every 24 hours.”
Ted was diagnosed with Stage 4 Burkitt’s lymphoma — an aggressive cancer that had developed into a spinal tumour.
He was rushed into emergency surgery at Birmingham Children’s Hospital that same day. The operation lasted six hours.
Doctors were able to successfully treat the cancer, but there was devastating news for the family.
The tumour had compressed Ted’s spinal cord, leaving him paralysed.
Pete and his family were warned that the damage was irreversible and that his mobility would likely never improve.
For many families, that kind of news changes everything. But for Pete, it became the start of a promise: a promise that Ted’s wheelchair would never limit what he could do in his life.
That belief has shaped everything since.
Today, Ted remains active, taking part in weekly play-based physiotherapy and mobility sessions, constantly pushing himself and adapting to life in ways many adults would struggle to comprehend.
And it’s that same spirit that has already seen him conquer mountains before.
Ted had already climbed Snowdon twice before.
Last year, he also reached the summit of Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in the UK.
But this year was different — This was the full Three Peaks.
A 23-mile challenge across Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon, completed in under 30 hours. It meant climbing over 10,000 metres in total – through exhaustion, pain, and sleep deprivation. But with an incredible team behind them, the father and son knew it was possible.
Alongside him were 15 family members and friends, split into four teams of four, rotating throughout the climbs to carry and push Ted in his wheelchair over some of Britain’s toughest terrain.
The team included former Royal Marines, ex-police officers, and retired firefighters — people with the physical strength and experience needed for a challenge like this. But Pete says the real strength came from Ted.
According to the family’s Just Giving fundraising page, “Ted is a wheelchair user — but that’s never been the thing that defines him. Determination does.”
And throughout the challenge, that’s exactly what he showed.
“This challenge is about more than mountains,” the family writes. “It’s about showing what’s possible. It’s about pushing limits, inspiring others, and making a difference.”
That message sits at the heart of everything Pete has tried to build for his son.
The challenge wasn’t about proving doubters wrong and showing that anything was and is possible for Ted, and that he could experience the same adventure, the same adrenaline and the same memories as anyone else.
Of course, it was also about giving back to the charity that helped them survive the hardest chapter of all.
During Ted’s treatment, Molly Ollys stepped in to support the family by providing specialist soft play equipment while he underwent intensive care.
For Pete, that kindness never left him.
Founded in 2011 by Rachel Ollerenshaw and Tim Ollerenshaw after the death of their daughter Molly from a rare kidney cancer, the charity supports children with terminal and life-limiting illnesses across the UK.
They provide wishes, therapeutic toys, books and emotional support for families living through unimaginable situations.
For the Haslams, it became personal.
This wasn’t their first fundraiser, as Pete explained: “We did the Snowdon Push for the last three years in aid of a charity called Back up. Last year we did Ben Nevis with Ted and he loved it. This year we said we’re going to do the Three Peaks before he gets too heavy.”
At 53, Pete admitted this was by far the toughest thing he has done.
And as one of the oldest in the group, he was thankful for the support around him. But the challenge delivered one more unforgettable moment.
During the climb, the group unexpectedly crossed paths with Catherine, Princess of Wales, who was also taking on the Three Peaks to raise money for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.
It was a surreal moment in an already extraordinary weekend.
But even that couldn’t overshadow what Ted was achieving. The JustGiving page sums it up perfectly: “Every mile climbed, every obstacle overcome, is a reminder that courage doesn’t come from physical strength alone — it comes from heart.”
And now, at just 11 years old, Ted has scaled the highest peaks in Britain while inspiring thousands.
Well done to Ted and the team! You can find the family’s Just Giving page HERE.
Featured image credit: Just Giving/Peter Haslam
