Friday, July 25, 2014

Vicars wife is a Tough Mudder

On Saturday 2nd August, Estelle Reed will be taking on a 10 - 12 mile long obstacle course designed by the Special Forces, and showing that being a Vicar’s wife isn’t about baking and arranging flowers.

Estelle, wife of the Vicar of Saltburn, the Revd Adam Reed, will be taking part in Tough Mudder Yorkshire, at Broughton Hall Estate, Skipton. Tough Mudder is an endurance event in which participants attempt a military-style obstacle course, designed and created by British Special Forces to test mental as well as physical strength. The course has obstacles to strike fear into the heart involving fire, water, electricity and heights, as well as plenty of Yorkshire mud.

Estelle said, “I run DanceFit, a dance and fitness business in Saltburn. Last year I challenged some of my customers – male and female – to do some cabaret dancing in high heels to raise money for breast cancer care. The guys who did it said it was the most terrifying thing they’d ever done, and challenged me to do something equally terrifying to raise money for a good cause. So I decided to have a go at Tough Mudder!

“In church, Adam was encouraging people to help raise money for our community. He used Jesus’ parable of the talents, and gave everyone in the congregation £10 to use as seed money to raise even more funds for our church. Our family decided to use our £10 notes towards the entry fees for Tough Mudder – it’s a real family effort. Adam and our children Ella and Aidan are helping with publicity, but I’m the one who’s got to complete the course! Even our curate, the Revd Adam Young, has been helping me train for the course.

“I’m really scared about the course! I wasn’t outdoorsy as a child – I trained in ballet from a young age. Dance keeps you fit and gives you stamina, but I think I’ll need an extra edge for the Tough Mudder course. There’s a group of us from DanceFit, customers and their husbands, taking part and it’s been an amazing bonding experience. We’re all going to work together to get round the course – I love the Tough Mudder ethos that it’s not all about winning, but working together to overcome the obstacles.”

The Revd Adam Reed, Estelle’s husband and Vicar of Emmanuel Church Saltburn, said, “I know Estelle and the team are going to defeat the Tough Mudder course and raise loads of money for their chosen charities. Estelle is really tough – you have to be as a mother, dance instructor and a vicar’s wife! Sadly, I won’t be there to cheer her on, as I’m leading a pilgrimage of young people to TaizĂ© in France, but we’ll all be praying for her and the team.”

The other people taking part in the Saltburn team are Cath Mason, who is raising money for the CUP Foundation (Cancer of Unknown Primary); Vic Tosh who is supporting Diabetes UK; Brian Cole who is fundraising for Down Syndrome North East; Adam Reamswood who is raising money for Parkinsons UK; and Richard Yaldren, who is supporting WaterAid.

To sponsor Estelle and help raise money for Emmanuel Church, Saltburn, visit http://www.justgiving.com/Estelle-DanceFit-Saltburn








Pictured: the Saltburn Tough Mudder team, with Estelle pictured centre.



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