For some, the Cumbrian fells are simply a beautiful landscape. But for Guy, they are a lifelong sanctuary, and the setting for an inspiring new charitable challenge. 

This year, Guy has set out to summit all 214 Wainwright fells to raise crucial funds in aid of the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF, the Freemasons’ charity) during the Province’s festival year. But this isn’t just a physical challenge; it is a profound personal milestone following a successful recovery from cancer. 

The fells have always been Guy’s “happy place.” Prior to becoming a Freemason, he served as a full member of the Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team, one of the busiest and most demanding rescue teams in the country. 

His history with the 214 fells spans decades. “I climbed all 214 fells in my younger years with my father, then again in my thirties, and yet again in my forties,” he shares. Now in his fifties, and having recently recovered from cancer, the mountains called to him once more. The challenge served as the perfect motivation to regain his fitness and return to the landscapes he loves. 

The personal drive to get back to the peaks perfectly aligned with a desire to give back. With the Province in its festival year, Guy wanted to do something impactful to help reach their fundraising targets and support the MCF’s community work. 

“As a Mason, I see the work the MCF does,” he explains. “After the recent £60,000 grant from the MCF to a local charity in given to Cumbria, it felt all the more important to support them and our festival this year. The fells challenge just seemed incredibly appropriate to our Province, and so the idea was born.” 

Despite the unpredictable British weather, the challenge is well underway. To adapt to the less-than-ideal conditions, Guy has started by carefully picking off the standalone fells on the edges of the National Park, the ones that don’t easily fit into a long, continuous round. 

Currently, the tally stands at 17 completed fells, with two more planned for this week. He hasn’t been walking alone, either. He is frequently accompanied by his loyal border collie, Skye, and occasionally by his wife, Tracey. 

As the clocks change and the days get longer, the pace is set to increase. For the bigger fells and longer days ahead, a roster of local Freemasons has already volunteered to join the trek. “Skye and I will never be lonely on our mountain walks,” he says. 

The ultimate goal is to finish the 214 fell challenge on a literal high note. Guy plans to save Scafell Pike, the highest fell in England and a peak intimately familiar to any former Wasdale Mountain Rescue member, for last. 

When that day comes, he hopes to make the final ascent surrounded by as many local Freemasons as possible, celebrating not just a return to health, but the enduring strength of the Freemasonry community and the vital funds raised in aid of the MCF. 

Learn more about Guy’s fundraiser here