Students from Sheffield and Manchester raised over £3,000 for Edale Mountain Rescue Team in a 40-mile hike across the Peak District.
The hike, which began in Manchester and ended at the University of Sheffield’s Medical School in Broomhall, was organised by members of the universities’ Wilderness Medicine Societies.
Meg Wallace, 21, President of the Sheffield Wilderness Medicine Society, said the hike comes from a decades-old tradition called the “dog-bite-walk”, which originally raised money for rabies charities.
Miss Wallace said: “Edale Mountain Rescue is a charity very close to our hearts. It only feels right to give back as much as we can, and to know they’ll have our walkers backs in times of need.”
Miss Wallace recounted her favourite part of the hike – encouraging the students to dance and sing in order to maintain team morale.
She said: “Having been a hopefully friendlier version of a drill sergeant for 70km of the walk, I really felt a second wind at Redmires.
“Forcing the entire group to get up and dance to ‘Hot n Cold’ by Katy Perry, and watching about 40 rain-drenched, blistered people jump and shout was all the motivation we needed for the final push.”
The participating students were praised by Edale Mountain Rescue Team (EMRT) which commended their continued dedication to raise funds for the organisation.
When asked how she felt having completed the hike, Kate Galliford, 22, one of the hike’s organisers, said: “I’m relieved that it all went (more or less) to plan! I’m very proud of all our walkers, particularly the ones who had never done anything like this before.”
EMRT, founded in 1955, is a voluntary organisation that operates a search and rescue service in the heart of the Peak District.
It relies significantly on donations to ensure their team is fully equipped to provide essential rescue services across the Peak District, 365 days a year.
With over 4,394 rescues since 1956, and 51 rescues in 2026 alone, it is one of the busiest mountain rescue teams in the country.
To find out more about EMRT visit https://edalemrt.co.uk/ or to donate visit https://www.justgiving.com/team/cross-peaks-challenge
