PCs Win Peaks Challenge
Last updated: 07/09/2006 - 09:38
Three police officers have won this year's Four Peaks Challenge. 'The Plodders' team is driver PC Sid Finlay, PC Don Pearson, PC Craig Buckley, and IT trainer Bill Baxter, all from Devon.
'A frugal right foot' was the secret weapon employed by a police officer that helped his team scoop a £2,000 prize in a unique driving challenge. The competition, one of Britain's most demanding tests of physical endurance, threw down a 'green' gauntlet to 40 teams taking part in the Wooden Spoon Society's Vauxhall Four Peaks Challenge.
The competition challenges entrants to use as little fuel as possible while driving from Ben Nevis in Scotland, to Carantouhill in south west Ireland, via Helvellyn in England and Snowdon in Wales.
'The Plodders' team - driver PC Sid Finlay of Honiton, PC Don Pearson of Newton Abbot, PC Craig Buckley of Tavistock, and IT trainer Bill Baxter of Exmouth, all Devon - was travelling in a Y-registered Frontera 2.2 TD (manual gearbox). They completed the challenge with the best fuel efficiency figures and won £2,000 worth of Karrimor outdoor pursuits clothing. The team travelled 766 miles using a miserly 120.17 litres of fuel.
PC Finlay said: "We were very surprised to win the challenge because we added a few miles to the journey by stopping overnight at Sedburgh. I've completed a basic police driving course but I haven't gone on any advanced courses so I can only think that we owe our success to my frugal right foot."
Some 40 teams of four raised more than £250,000 for disabled and disadvantaged children. In the last four years alone it has raised around £2m for projects run by a charity organised by rugby players, the Wooden Spoon Society.
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