THOUSANDS of pounds has been raised by Hinkley Point B nuclear power station workers who completed the Three Peaks Challenge on behalf of their late friend and colleague Mark Boobyer.

Mr Boobyer, aged 44, died in a car crash near Hinkley Point while driving home from work one evening last December.

His wife Chloe and sons Jack and Archie joined shift team colleagues who took part in the memorial charity challenge.

It involved climbing Britain’s three highest peaks, Scotland’s Ben Nevis, England’s Scafell Pike, and Snowdon, in Wales, one after the other.

The team have so far raised more than £7,000 and are hopeful that even more can be collected.

The money will go to Josephine’s Star, a local bereavement charity which has been supporting Mr Boobyer’s family.

The late Mark Boobyer.
The late Mark Boobyer. ( )

One of the station team taking part was Wayne Reeder, who said: “This was not just about challenging ourselves.

“The challenge held a special meaning to us all.

“Mark had completed the challenge and had talked to several of us about doing it again many times.

“For us to be able to do it, raising money for a charity, and complete it with his wife Chloe and sons Jack and Archie, was just the icing on the cake.

“We would like to thank everybody for the donations. The kindness of you all has been very humbling to us all.”

The team signed up for the challenge in February and spent three months training for the expedition.

During the challenge, they waded through deep snow, were caught out by sudden rain and mist, enjoyed a mountain top rainbow, and even saw some sunshine.

In all, they completed the gruelling expedition in just 36 hours and 36 minutes.

Mr Reeder said: “This challenge was a whole team effort, and it was that which got us through.

“There was fantastic logistical preparation, huge amounts of research, excellent navigational skills, constant encouragement, nutritious food, brilliant driving support, and a desire to look after one another.

“Of the 13 of us walking, eight of us completed all three peaks with Chloe and the boys also completing all three between them as a family, as well as them all climbing Ben Nevis together.

“We all had many aches and pains and our sore legs are going to take a few weeks to recover.

“But the determination to complete the challenge as a team in memory of such a special person gave us all the drive we could need.”