Matt Jones’ Hope House Challenge was in danger of not being completed until the mantra of his late wife, Vicky, popped into his head. It got him through a brutal challenge and raised £50,000 for his local children’s hospice.
70-Mile Hike
To honour a family bet made last year with Vicky, Matt set off on a 70-mile hike across the Clwydian Range with a 6½ stone fridge-freezer strapped to his back.
Speaking of the incredible trek, ex-Marine Matt said: “I had to go deeper than ever before and take myself back to Commando training 23 years ago. My whole body was screaming, and I hit breaking point early on after a fuelling error. In the toughest moments, it was Vicky’s voice through our four children that was telling me: ‘You’ve got this. Be you.’”
Vicky had been a passionate supporter of Hope House/Tŷ Gobaith children’s hospices before she died tragically of an undiagnosed heart condition two days before Christmas 2024. Matt decided to start a tribute fund for the hospices in her memory and use something Vicky had said to him as a spur for fundraising. The bet came about last September when Matt was recovering in hospital after a total hip replacement operation.
Meol Fferna
Matt explained, “The surgeon was telling me I had to slow down. Vicky was sitting in the corner, laughing while telling the surgeon, ‘You might as well talk to a brick wall.’ She then told the surgeon, ‘Knowing this idiot, he will try and complete it again with a fridge on his back!’ I replied, ‘I will do it twice, with a fridge freezer on my back’. Smiling and laughing while shaking her head, Vicky said: ‘You’ve got yourself a bet, Mr Jones’.”
The 42-year-old father of four, who keeps himself fit by playing rugby, continued, “The wind on parts of the route made the fridge freezer like a sail, but with the team by my side, we didn’t stop. By the three peaks at Moel Fferna, it was all or nothing. The distance in this wasn’t the issue. It was the 15,000-foot elevation. We crossed the Vivod as a team and arrived in Llangollen, surrounded by family and friends, with two hours to spare on our 36-hour limit.
“This challenge was never about fitness. It was about honouring a promise to my kids and keeping Vicky’s spirit alive. Vicky’s mantra was, ‘You are the only you. Own it. Rock it. Feel it. Embrace it. Love it and be it. Be you!’
“Thank you to everyone, family, friends, and supporters. I could not have done it without you. Especially Rich, Rob and Simon – the best support and pitstop crew I could have asked for. We raised a lot of money for Hope House, and if it inspired you even a little bit, then we’ve done our job.”
“Lost for Words”
Hope House/Tŷ Gobaith fundraiser Vicky Bradbeer said, “Wow! We are lost for words in admiration of Matt and his team’s effort. What an incredible challenge and the most beautiful tribute to Vicky, an example to his children, who must be extremely proud.
“It’s an amazing amount of money that has been raised and will go directly to providing free professional nursing and respite care to local children and families living with a life-threatening condition. Thank you so much to everyone involved and to those who have so kindly donated and supported Matt with this unbelievable challenge.”
It’s not too late to donate – click here.
You can follow Matt on social media:
Instagram: @fridge_freezer_man
Facebook: Fridge freezer man
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