A special birthday: Welsh chef conquers Three Peaks Challenge in support of mum with breast cancer

Georgia Maunder, a Chef from Swansea had planned for her 21st birthday to be celebrated with a sunny winter getaway with her family. However, plans quickly changed. Just weeks before they were due to fly out, Georgia’s mum was diagnosed with breast cancer. The cancellation of the holiday left Georgia with an unexpected gap in her calendar. “Instead of sitting around, I thought I’d raise some money for a really good cause instead!’”

We all hope that our milestone birthdays are a special occasion, and the same was no different for Georgia Maunder. To make things even more special, the trip would also be a shared celebration. Both Georgia’s sister Jasmin and mother Sam, share the same birth month as Georgia (November).

“Mum was diagnosed in August, and then she had her operation at the start of November,” said Georgia.

Both mother and daughter spent the next few weeks in vastly different situations than they’d imagined. Whilst Sam was progressing quickly with her treatment, Georgia was on a mission to support her. This saw the young chef trade her holiday in the sun for climbing mountains in the Welsh winter. Georgia admits that her mum thought she was ‘crazy’ for taking it on. Within weeks of her decision she would be walking more than 17 miles across the three highest mountains in Wales. In total, Georgia would climb a total of more than 7500 feet in just three days.

 ‘It was the worst time of year to climb the UK’s highest mountain!’ 

Georgia trained tirelessly on a treadmill to prepare for the real ascent. Before she knew it, she was driving to mid-Wales with her partner Josh to take on the first climb. 

The scale of the challenge became quickly apparent upon Georgia’s arrival. The official Three Peaks challenge usually only takes place in the summer months – but Georgia took it on during the wind and rain of November 2023. And the weather lived up to expectations! 

“We were being pelted with wind and rain before we got to thefirst peak, Cader Idris,” Georgia explained. “It really was the worst weather possible!” 

Undeterred, Georgia and Josh drove straight on to Snowdon – the UK’s highest mountain outside Scotland – the next day. She would celebrate her 21st birthday at the top, in the clouds again, knowing that she had just one more climb to go. 

“My legs felt like jelly”

Peak number three – Pen y Fan – was completed as a family affair on day three, with Georgia reaching the summit, exhausted but happy, alongside her dad Chris, sister Jasmin and brother Jay.  Remembering the emotions, Georgia said: “My legs felt like jelly the day after, and I was straight back into work the next day!”

Georgia’s training and commitment had paid off – she completed all three peaks in an impressive nine hours walking time. And despite the quick turnaround, the fundraising was a huge success. In total, Georgia raised an incredible £2,467 for Breast Cancer UK. 

Reflecting on the reasons behind the challenge, Georgia explained that she became aware of Breast Cancer UK after her mum shared some links to organisations she had found helpful after her diagnosis. Breast Cancer UK stood out to Georgia, because of its focus on prevention. 

After being sent the information by her mum, Georgia and her sister decided to try the Breast Cancer UK quiz on the website, and was impressed at how it improved her understanding of how to avoid some of risks which can contribute to the chance of developing breast cancer.

‘We’re happy to see mum doing well’

“We thought it was really interesting,” said Georgia. “We even got some of our family members to do it as well. My mum said if she’d known some of it before, it might have been helpful. My sister and I are fortunate to have found these resources at a younger age. It will definitely help us shape our lifestyle going forward.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, with over 55,000 women and around 400 men diagnosed every year. However, a approximately quarter of these cases could be prevented by reducing exposure to risk factors. The amazing support of Georgia and other fundraisers helps Breast Cancer UK to advocate for better education, scientific research, and policy change. 

Mum Sam’s treatment is continuing, with Georgia and the rest of the family proud of how she’s taking it on: “Mum had her first radiation therapy last week,” added Georgia. “She’s doing really well, and it’s all happened really quickly, which we’re happy about.” 

If Georgia’s story has inspired you to take on a challenge of your own to support Breast Cancer UK, email the team [email protected] to get started or click here.

• awareness
• BCUK
• Breast cancer
• breast cancer prevention
• Breast Cancer UK
• cancer
• Challenge
• charities
• Fundraise
• Marathon
• prevention
• Run
• Running