Skip to content

Teens complete Three Peaks in memory of friend

Carol MaliaBBC Look North
News imageBBC Max Whitelaw, on the left, and Andrew Fairhurst, on the right, are on Scafell Pike in Cumbria, en route to the summit. The fell is behind them with other Cumbria fells beyond and Wast Water down to the left. Both are wearing white t-shirts which have a picture of their friend on, along with the words "three peaks in memory of Matthew Adams".BBC
Max Whitelaw and Andrew Fairhurst have finished the challenge their friend planned

Two teenagers have completed a mountain challenge in memory of their friend who died nine weeks ago.

Matthew Adams had planned to do the Three Peaks Challenge with his friends but died from an extremely rare cancer which affects only two in a million people.

Since his diagnosis in December 2022, the 18-year-old from Tynemouth took on many adventures in the hope of carrying on as normally as possible.

The young air cadet finished the 84-mile (134km) Hadrian's Wall path last August, took part in long-distance bike rides, sat his GCSEs and finished his A-level studies.

But the neuroendocrine cancer paraganglioma spread through his abdomen and his health declined rapidly in the Easter school holidays.

"He was somebody who always had a sense of humour, he was always there for you if you needed and he was very popular and reliable," said Matthew's mother Jane Hall.

"We are very proud of him."

News imageSupplied Matthew Adams is in some sort of aircraft, possibly a glider, wearing his green air cadet uniform and a white helmet with black lip microphone. He's strapped in and is also wearing what looks like a parachute. He's smiling. Another cadet or instructor is sitting next to him. Supplied
Matthew Adams reached the rank of Cadet Warrant Officer with the 346 (Tynemouth) Squadron Air Cadets

Ms Hall said she still feels like "he might walk through the door still and he hasn't really gone away".

"I talk to him in my head all the time, I tell him what I am doing."

Her son's close friends, Andrew Fairhurst and Max Whitelaw, both 18 and also from Tynemouth, decided to continue with Matthew's plan for the Three Peaks Challenge and hike the highest mountains in England, Scotland and Wales.

They had already scaled the 3,560ft (1,085m) of Snowdon in Wales and the 3,210ft (978m) of Scafell in Cumbria. Earlier they took on the might of Ben Nevis, the highest of the three at 4,413ft (1,345m).

News imageJane Hall is standing half way up Scafell Pike in Cumbria. Behind her are the fells and Wast Water. She is wearing a pink polo shirt and has glasses. Her grey-blonde chin-length hair is being blown back off her face by the wind. She looks pensive.
Jane Hall helped organise the fundraising in memory of her son

Ms Hall has helped organise the fundraising efforts for the Teenage Cancer Trust and the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.

"I am very proud of Andrew and Max taking on the Three Peaks," she said.

"It was something Matthew wanted to do. Right up until Easter he was still planning doing it."

The hope is to raise awareness of paraganglioma, a rarity in someone of Matthew's age and with a genetic link.

It presented as tumours in his abdomen - discovered when he went into hospital with a suspected burst appendix - but the cancer was untreatable as it had already begun to spread.

News imageSupplied A section of a larger picture of Matthew Adams which has been cropped to show just him. An arm is resting across his back and shoulders but we can't see who it belongs to. Matthew is wearing a pale green hoodie and has the straps of a camera round his neck. He has short, strawberry-blond hair with a slightly unravelled quiff at the front. He's half smiling, as if he's familiar with the person taking the photograph.Supplied
Matthew Adams has been described by his friend as "funny, loyal, honest, supportive, kind, trustworthy, generous, smart, positive and unfailingly polite"

"It is quite unique not having him here with us," Andrew said.

"I am sure he would have loved it if he was and there would have been lots of laughing."

Max said the whole plan was Matthew's idea.

"He was the one that came up with the massive trips and bike trips so it is a nice way to honour him."

As they trekked up the rocky paths, Andrew and Max wore t-shirts bearing Matthew's picture.

"When they get to each peak, if they are wearing the t-shirts, there is a little bit of him there with them," Ms Hall said.

News imageAndrew Fairhurst (left) and Max Whitelaw (right) are on Scafell in Cumbria holding up a red and yellow Northumberland county flag. The flag has red stripes, offset like a chess board, on a yellow background. The teenagers are wearing black trousers, walking boots and white t-shirts which have a picture of their friend on, along with the words "three peaks in memory of Matthew Adams".
The friends tackled both Snowdon and Scafell before climbing the largest of the three peaks, Ben Nevis

On the friends' online fundraising page, Max says the death of a friend they have known since they were little "has left a massive hole in the lives of everyone who knew him".

The teenagers have so far raised more than ten times their £1,000 target.

Follow BBC North East on X and Facebook and BBC Cumbria on X and Facebook and both on Nextdoor and Instagram.

Related stories
Related internet links