Forty hospitality workers have completed a 42km charity walk across the Peak District, taking on around 900 metres of ascent and more than 12 hours on their feet to raise £12,697 for Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity.
Employees from independent hospitality group Longbow Venues set off from The Peacock at Owler Bar, on the outskirts of Sheffield at 6.30am on a Tuesday, beginning their marathon-distance challenge as the sun rose over the Peak District.
The team was led throughout the challenge by Lizzie from What’s Not to Hike, who guided the group across the 42km route and helped keep the walkers going through more than 12 hours on the Peak District trails.
The route connected all six Longbow venues and took in some of the area’s best-known landscapes, including Burbage, Froggatt, Curbar and Baslow edges, as well as the Chatsworth Estate and Haddon Estate woodland.
It marks a significant step up from Longbow Venues’ first charity walk in 2025, when 29 members of the team walked 29km and raised more than £6,500 for the charity.
This year, 40 employees signed up, the distance increased by 13km to a full marathon and, following the opening of The Charleston in Bakewell, the route connected every Longbow venue for the first time.
“Forty-two kilometres across the Peak District sounded like a good idea when we were planning it,” said Rob Hattersley, managing director of Longbow Venues. “I’m not sure everyone would have agreed with me by the final few kilometres!
“But what made me incredibly proud was the way everyone got each other through it. There were people physically pushing colleagues up hills, waiting for each other, clapping as people reached each milestone and constantly checking that everyone was OK. It stopped being about 40 individuals walking 42km and became a real team effort.”
