VOLUNTEERS at St John Ambulance in the Taunton area hope to raise thousands of pounds for the charity by hiking, running and cycling across the mountains of Wales.

The team of six fundraisers’ plan for the #TauntonVWales Challenge is to trek from the Brecon Beacons to Snowdonia over five days in May, scaling three of the country’s highest peaks en route.

Between ascents, they will cycle at least 75 miles and run approximately 40 miles, before reaching the finish line at the summit of Snowdon.

The challenge follows St John’s Taunton unit being set a target of raising £500 this year.

Fundraising lead George Gillard said: “When our unit manager Stuart Winter told us the target, me and my friend Ricky decided we could smash it into smithereens.

“We’d always planned to go on this adventure across Wales ourselves – just for fun – but this is an opportunity to raise lots of money for a cause very close to our hearts.”

George, 19, who works for Wellington Waste Management and hopes to join the Royal Marines, volunteers as a St John first aider in his spare time.

His teammates are Ricky Duke, 22, who works for Western Power Distribution; Rory Crampton, 22, a bus driver; Kate Hemmings, 18, who works at Taunton Prep School; Jason Pike, 34, employed by a desserts manufacturer; and student Adam Evans, 18, who is the national St John Ambulance Cadet of the Year.

They are all busy raising sponsorship, while a number of events are being planned, including store collections in Morrisons, Taunton.

To donate online, visit: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/TauntonVWales and you can follow the team’s progress online using the hashtag #TauntonVWales.

*The three peaks the St John Ambulance volunteers will tackle are.

• Pen-y-Fan (2,907 feet / 886 metres) in the Brecon Beacons National Park, is the highest peak in South Wales.

• Cadair Idris (2,930 feet / 893 metres) is at the southern end of Snowdonia National Park near Dolgellau.

• Snowdon (3,560 feet / 1,085 metres) is the highest mountain in Wales and the tallest peak in Britain, outside of Scotland.