A TEAM of healthcare and voluntary workers are set to take on the mammoth Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge to support a cancer charity.  

The seven-strong team from the newly formed Northeast Essex Health and Wellbeing Alliance hopes to conquer Yorkshire's three highest peaks, Pen-Y-Ghent, Whernside, and Ingleborough, within 12 hours.

The team is made up of employees from Colchester and Tendring councils, and the NHS.

Michelle Tarbun, head of health partnerships and wellbeing at Colchester Council, welcomed the collaborative spirit behind the challenge.

She said: "We all work for different organisations and have come together as partners within the North East Essex Health and Wellbeing Alliance.

"We wanted to do something that would help us develop as a leadership team while raising money for a great cause, and the Three Peaks Challenge is the ideal way to do that."

The team has been rigorously training for the event, with members preparing individually as well as participating in an 11-mile trail walk together.

They know the upcoming challenge, with its time constraints and physical demands, will be far more difficult.

Michelle added: "We hope all of our training will pay off when we tackle the challenge.

"We are really pleased that we have already managed to raise over £1,000, but we would love to raise more for such a great charity and have some fun."

The North East Essex Health and Wellbeing Alliance is made up of partners from health, public sector and voluntary organisations working together to improve the health and wellbeing of people in north east Essex.

The team will take on the challenge on Friday, September 6, and donations can be made through their sponsorship page.