A Winchester father is taking on a challenge in the Lake District in memory of his late son.

Nick Shaw, 62, from Winchester and his son Alex, 30, will do the Peddle Paddle Peak challenge in the Lake District, which involves a 30-mile cycle, two-mile canoe paddle and a climb to the peak of Helvellyn mountain.

The team of four, ‘Christopher’s Champions’, also includes Nick’s school friend James Sturt-Scobie, 62, and his son Will, 26.

The challenge, taking place on July 6, is in support of Muscular Dystrophy UK, the leading charity for people in the UK living with one of over 60 muscle wasting and weakening conditions.

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(Image: Nick Shaw)

Nick’s son and Alex’s brother, Christopher, lived with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and died in March 2023 aged 27.

Explaining why Pedal Paddle Peak is a fitting tribute to his son Christopher’s memory, Nick Shaw said: “Christopher loved travelling and being out in the countryside, despite all the challenges that typically entailed.

"The Lake District was one of many places that he visited on multiple occasions so when my son Alex and I both saw an email about this challenge for Muscular Dystrophy UK, we knew we wanted to do it. It wasn’t difficult to persuade my friend James and his son to join us and make up a team of four!” 

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Christopher was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a progressive muscle wasting condition, when he was 15 months’ old.

“My wife Rachel had been taking Christopher to toddler classes, and someone there noticed that his movements were different to other children his age and suggested we took him for some tests,” said Nick.

(Image: Nick Shaw)

 “We weren’t sure what to expect but the tests showed an absence of dystrophin protein and after a biopsy the consultant confirmed that Christopher had Duchenne muscular dystrophy. I remember that day really clearly.

“As Duchenne has no cure and we knew it would impact Christopher’s mobility and life-expectancy, from that point on we decided that we just had to make the most of life.”

 Nick describes Christopher as a cheeky, happy little boy and the family travelled a lot together when he was young – everywhere from the USA to Egypt and Australia.

“Things got harder as Christopher got older,” said Nick. “He was in a wheelchair from the age of 12 and travelling became more complicated as we needed to consider how accessible places were.

“We still made sure that we had great experiences as a family though, spending time in the south of France regularly as well as breaks in Cornwall and the Lake District. Christopher was always asking ‘where are we going this year, Dad?’ He loved travelling.” 

Despite the progression of his condition during childhood and teenage years, Christopher remained positive, and his motivation and strong family bonds helped him to achieve his GCSEs, A Levels and a degree in illustration. He enjoyed playing video games with his brother and spending time with his family.

 The ‘Pedal Paddle Peak’ Lake District challenge starts in Penrith with a 15-mile cycle followed by a two-mile canoe paddle on Ullswater Lake.

Once back on dry land, teams cycle to the base of Helvellyn to complete the ‘Peak’ part of the challenge – climbing to the mountain peak, before getting on their bikes again for the final 15-mile pedal to finish back in Penrith.

 As ‘Christopher’s Champions’, Nick, Alex, James and Will are hoping to complete Pedal Paddle Peak in under nine hours and have been training for the pedal and peak aspects.