03/03/2010
A brave Rotherham man has emerged from a Derbyshire cave triumphant after spending 48 hours inside to raise money for a leading cancer hospital where his best friend is being treated.

Chris Clayton, 45, from Herringthorpe, abseiled down Giant’s Hole cave in Castleton with five friends and family members, including his 16 year old son Rhys, and raised more than £2,000 for Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity.

The father of three, who works as a behavioural support teacher at Thybergh School and Sports College, Rotherham, and also as a part time climbing instructor for High Sports at Rotherham Leisure Centre, wanted to do something out of the ordinary to help his friend of 18 years, Steve Griffiths, who is battling bowel, bladder and prostate cancer.

Chris said: “We are all absolutely thrilled to have achieved what we set out to achieve for such a fantastic cause. But the 48 hours in the cave were very challenging – we experienced a few highs and lots of lows, but the main thing is that we all managed to stick it out.

“When Steve initially found out that about the caving expedition he was over the moon so we tried to keep positive by thinking about the reason we were doing the challenge in the first place.

“I think everyone in the group had wobbly moments whilst we were down there, mainly due to claustrophobia and the damp and cold, but by spurring each other on and supporting each other we got through it.”

The group hit difficulty when conditions in the cave they had initially planned on descending into, the P8 Jackpot cave, were too dangerous due to the heavy rainfall. However, after checking out Giant’s Hole cave, Chris was confident that the expedition could still be achieved.

The three kilometre long, 120 metre deep Giant’s Hole cave is a favourite with caving groups due to its series of large, easily accessible passages.

The group varied from experienced cave explorers to complete novices, who underwent extensive health and safety training prior to entering the cave. Because of the potential complexity of the event Chris also enlisted the skills of outdoor learning instructor and experienced caver, Mark Caseley, to help with pre-trip preparations and safety reconnaissance visits.

Chris added: “When we emerged from the cave we were greeted by friends and family, which was incredibly overwhelming for all of us. I think it took some of the group a while to realise what we’d actually achieved and the emotion has caught up with us since then.

“If you’d have asked me straight after we emerged from the cave if I’d do it again the answer would be a resounding ‘no’. But having returned to normality, the idea doesn’t actually sound quite so bad, but having said that it would take a lot for me to go back down there for another two days!

“We are thrilled with the amount of money raised as we had an initial target of £1,000, so to have achieved double this so far is just fantastic.”
Catherine Newman, senior fundraiser at Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity, said: “What Chris and the others have achieved in honour of their friend is truly inspirational and we are honoured that the money raised will go to Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity. This generous donation will help us to support research, treatment and care for people living with cancer.”