An amazing group of military wives and partners from Forces Wives Challenge who have previously conquered the highest volcano in the world for charity, are defying the COVID-19 lockdown to create their own 'VIRTUAL' challenge tomorrow (Saturday)

They plan to 'climb' the infamous Pen Y Fan mountain in the Brecon Beacons, which forms part of the gruelling training routine for the SAS.

Because of the government restrictions the women will be unable to tackle the Beacons and will, instead, be climbing their own stairs or steps or a nearby hill more than THREE HUNDRED times, which will be the equivalent of 886 metres or 2.907 feet above sea level – the same height as the infamous peak, south of Snowdonia and will take at least two hours.

Women in Scotland, Wales, Colchester and even Afghanistan are amongst the 211 participants.

Their efforts will be to support a charity called Scotty's Little Soldiers, a national charity dedicated to supporting children and young people who have lost a parent while they were serving their country with the UK Armed Forces.

The Forces Wives Challenge (FWC) is the idea of former Surrey-based Royal Engineer Major Heather Sharp, who served for ten years in the Army.

She left the Army and became a mum and said: " "I'm embarrassed to say I had a preconceived stereotypical idea of what life would be like living on a married quarters patch, and I wondered if I would have anything in common or make friends.

"Very quickly every preconceived idea was shattered, and on posting after posting I found a diverse, dynamic, and resilient group of women who had all made incredible sacrifices to support their partners' careers in the Armed Forces.

"These types of challenges strengthen us as a team - a team with purpose which celebrates our drive, ambition, and, above all, support for each other."

FWC Founder Heather, from Sandhurst, Surrey, added:"We're a family of four and need to climb our stairs 312 times! We plan on covering the height from 7am - 7pm. The kids are going to climb the stairs twice an hour, leaving the adults to climb 12 times an hour. Sounds so simple!"

Previously, the women organised their expedition to ascend the 6893 metre Ojos del Salado in Chile - the world's highest volcano - to raise £10.000 for the Royal British Legion.

Learn about Forces Wives Challenge

FWC Challenge

Scotty's Little Soldiers Charity