Twelve friends, 50km across the South Downs, 11 workouts, in memory of two little girls

Two of the group, Matt Vince and Marcellus Edmonds, are cousins through marriage. In 2022, just six weeks apart, they each lost a daughter. Matt’s daughter Luna-Rose was 3. Marcellus’s daughter Jemima was 8, after an asthma attack.

In their memory, the twelve are hiking 50km across the South Downs while carrying all their own gym equipment the whole way. A rowing machine, a barbell, two 10kg plates and a skipping rope. Every 5km they stop and complete a full workout, 11 in total. One workout on its own is 400 squats, 400 deadlifts and 400 bench presses for a team of four. All of it has to be done inside 24 hours, which means walking and lifting through the night. They are calling it Carry The Load.

This is not their first challenge. Matt has already raised more than £50,000 for Chailey Heritage Foundation, starting with the Brighton Marathon in 2023 and then in 2024 when the group cycled 450 miles between Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon for the Three Peaks Challenge. Leon Collen, one of the same group, ran the London Marathon for the charity last year. This one is the hardest yet.

The money is split equally between Chailey Heritage Foundation at North Chailey, which supported Luna-Rose through its Aquamovers sessions, and Evelina London Children’s Hospital, which cared for Jemima in her final days. They are at £4,060 against a £10,000 target.
We would be glad to help with whatever you need. Matt and Marcellus are both willing to be interviewed, we can get photos and video across to you before or during the event, and you would be very welcome to film at the start, the finish or anywhere along the route.

The fundraising page: 

https://givewheel.com/fundraising/19072/DoveAndRose/

https://gvwhl.com/VP1CM

Instagram: @TheDoveAndRose