Forty members of the Longbow Venues team will take on a marathon-distance walk across the Peak District this September, after raising more than £6,500 for Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity with their inaugural challenge last year.
On Tuesday 22nd September, employees from across the independent Peak District hospitality group will walk 42km - around 26 miles - between all six Longbow venues, with the aim of raising £10,000 for the charity.
It is a significant step up from Longbow’s first charity walk in 2025, when 29 members of the team took on a 29km route. This year, 40 employees have signed up and an additional 13km has been added to bring the challenge up to marathon distance.
Starting at The Peacock at Owler Bar, the team will head through the Peak District to The George at Hathersage, The Maynard in Grindleford, The Peacock at Rowsley and The Charleston in Bakewell, before finishing at The Ashford Arms in Ashford in the Water.
The route will take in some of the Peak District’s best-known landscapes, including Burbage, Froggatt, Curbar and Baslow edges, as well as the Chatsworth Estate and Haddon Estate woodland.
With approximately 900 metres of ascent, the walkers are expected to spend around 10.5 to 11 hours on their feet and approximately 12.5 hours completing the challenge in total.
Rob Hattersley, Managing Director of Longbow Venues, said:
“Last year was the first time we had attempted anything like this and the response from our team, our guests and the wider community was fantastic. We had 29 people walking 29 kilometres and together we raised more than £6,500 for Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity.
“This year, we wanted to build on that success and challenge ourselves even further. We now have 40 people taking part, we’re walking a full marathon distance and, with The Charleston now open in Bakewell, the route will take us to every Longbow venue.
“Forty-two kilometres across the Peak District is going to be tough, but that is rather the point. Sheffield Children’s Hospital is incredibly important to families across our region and much further afield, and we want to raise as much as we possibly can for the charity.
“We’d absolutely love to reach £10,000 this year. Knowing people are supporting us will make a huge difference when we’re ten hours in and there are still miles left to walk!”
As with last year’s challenge, every member of staff taking part will be paid as if it were a standard working day, reflecting Longbow’s commitment to recognising the time and effort its employees are giving to support the charity.
Sheffield Children’s is one of only three dedicated children’s hospitals in the UK, providing specialist care to children and young people from Sheffield and across the country. Charitable donations support areas including specialist equipment, research, improved facilities and environments designed to make hospital stays as comfortable as possible for young patients and their families.
Community support is a central part of the Longbow Venues ethos. The independent hospitality business operates six pubs, hotels and restaurants across the Peak District: The Maynard in Grindleford, The George at Hathersage, The Peacock at Rowsley, The Ashford Arms in Ashford in the Water, The Peacock at Owler Bar and The Charleston in Bakewell.
Longbow also runs an ongoing initiative donating £1 from every dessert sold across its venues to charities and community organisations.
How to support the Longbow Challenge
The team is aiming to raise £10,000 for Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity and is asking guests, friends, families and the wider community to get behind the walkers.
Donations can be made through the Longbow Venues JustGiving page:
justgiving.com/team/longbowvenuescharitywalk
The 42km challenge begins at The Peacock at Owler Bar at 6.45am on Tuesday 22nd September and is expected to finish at The Ashford Arms in Ashford in the Water approximately 12.5 hours later (expected arrival time approximately 7.15pm).
