60,000 Steps, 25 Miles and Three Peaks for Gina

Dec 18, 2025

DUNTON, UK – Back in April, the Ford comms team in Europe lost a wonderful colleague to breast cancer. Gina McCarthy, a loving wife and devoted mother of one, passed just five months after she was diagnosed.

Gina, an agency partner, was a bundle of energy. A keen runner, she loved exercise and was always up for a challenge. So, to honour her memory, and to raise money for a cancer charity of her family’s choice, 12 colleagues past and present decided to take on a demanding mountain trek – climbing three of the highest peaks in Yorkshire in one day.

The Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge involves walking and scrambling almost 25 miles over the summits of Pen y Ghent, Whernside, and Ingleborough – with total elevation of more than 1,500 metres.

And, in October, colleagues Charlie Bristow, Christian Brown, Fanja Denham, Ant Delany, Rick Franks, Adrian Higgins, Michelle Gasgarth, Emmauel Lubrani, Helen Sewell, Chris Seymour, Anna Stanley and Charlotte Ward headed North to Yorkshire in a convoy of three Ranger PHEVs to give it a go.

Setting off at sunrise from Horton in Ribblesdale on Saturday, they ticked off the first peak in about 90 minutes, summiting in cold and blustery conditions. Ahead lay an eight-mile trek to the famous Ribblehead Viaduct, and as they dropped down from Pen y Ghent, the sun came out and the temperature soared.

By the time they reached the top of the second peak, Whernside, the heat and elevation had started to take its toll. Fighting fatigue, aches and sore feet, they headed up Ingleborough to face the steepest section of the route – the zig-zags – before finally reaching the summit plateau as the sun set.

Job done, almost. Just a five-mile descent back to Horton, which for some of the group was completed in total darkness. And then, after some 60,000 steps, it was over.

As Emmanuel put it: “We came together to remember someone taken far too soon, but we left with something more. We shared an experience of challenge, resilience, and togetherness that I know none of us will ever forget. Thanks to the incredible generosity of our friends and colleagues, we also raised more than £3,000 for the Triple Negative Breast Cancer charity, a cause chosen by Gina’s family. Gina would have been proud.”

If you’re interested in tackling the Yorkshire Three Peaks, click this link for more information.