A GROUP of military wives and girlfriends is getting ready to take on a challenging hike to raise money for Solihull veterans.
The Forces Wives Challenge (FWC), a group made up of female partners of UK serving and veteran military personnel, is scaling Pen y Fan for Royal Star and Garter, which has a home in the borough.
They hope to raise £2,500 for the charity, which cares for veterans and their partners living with disability or dementia.
Around 100 women from all around the UK will set off on September 17 to conquer the 886m-high mountain – situated in the Brecon Beacons in South Wales.
The mountain is notoriously used by the military as part of its selection process for the UK’s Special Forces personnel.
It is the fifth time the not-for-profit organisation is undertaking the Pen y Fan challenge, but the first time they are raising money for Royal Star and Garter.
Army wife Stephanie Quintrell helps run FWC and will be supporting participants as they begin their ascent.
She said: “My husband was going through a list of charities whose focus is the military community, and when we read about the work Royal Star and Garter do, it struck a chord with us.
“We thought it fitted in really nicely with our organisation.
“We’re an organisation made up of female partners of military personnel, and because Royal Star and Garter helps veterans and their spouses, it immediately felt very close to our heart.”
Ahead of the walk, Steph and FWC founder and director Heather Sharp, visited Royal Star and Garter in Solihull, where they saw firsthand the award-winning care provided at the Home to veterans and their partners.
They also met resident Sue Southern, who used to be a keen rambler, and climbed Pen y Fan in 1949.
She lives at the Tudor Coppice home with her husband Harry, who served in the Navy in the Second World War.
For more visit the Forces Wives Challenge website.
To donate visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/fw100-pen-y-fan-22.
