This weekend I did the 3 peak challenge for the charity 'Mind'. No amount of training could have prepared me for how tough it was going to be. I did do some training before the event. I started running and went on walks with Jonny. I now realise I should have done so much more! 

I'm now sat on a delayed virgin train trying to get home from the challenge. It seems my journey home is going to be as challenging as the journey up to Ben Nevis. My journey began on Friday, getting up at 6am. My train from Euston was at 8:40am but I hate been late. I had a smooth journey up to Chester. On my way I made a few 3 peak friends, Leo & Dave. We left Chester station at about 12pm in the rain, and it pretty much continued to rain for the rest of the weekend. We didn't get to our bunker accommodation until about 9pm- it was such a long drive in a small mini bus who's speed was restricted to 62 mph. 

The next morning was an early start. We were all up at 6am to leave at 7am to get to the foot of Ben Nevis. So we began in terrible rain and 40 mph winds- not the best start! The first hour was so difficult as it was really steep and we had to try and keep our pace up as we were sectioned into groups from this point on. I was in group 2 and happy with that. It took us 3.5 hrs to reach the summit.

My group climbing Ben Nevis

It was so cold at the top I couldn't feel any part of my body and just wanted to start the decent. We had a quick group photo and down we went. It took us about the same time to decent as we had a few people with sore knees and the Ben Nevis run was taking place and we got stuck in that. This meant we were behind schedule already. We had a 5 hr drive to reach Scarfell Pike and we had to stop for 45 mins due to driver restrictions on the mini bus. 

Group 2 at the top of Ben Nevis

We finally reached Scarfell at 9:30am. We had to be dressed and ready to just jump out of the mini bus- the roads were so windey we all felt a little sick. We started to climb Scarfell. We knew we had 2 hr time limit to reach the summit. After the 1st hour we were only a quarter of the way up so we had to regroup and only the fastest people continued. I was in this group with Mike, Leo, Chantelle, Sophie, Steph, and the lovely guy who's name has slipped my mind (sorry!). So we had an hour to reach the top. Steve our guide set the pace which was so fast- I've never felt so exhausted!!!! But we did it in 50 minutes. I was so proud of us all.

Climbing in the dark up Scarfell Pike

 The decent wasn't so easy. I think because we all pushed ourselves so much on the climb, coming down was made that much worse. It took us 3 hrs to get back to the mini bus. We were still behind schedule but just so pleased that we did it. From this point on, we had the nickname of the Summit Seven. Now we had another 4 hr drive and a driver change to contend with. When we arrived back to the mini buses, we were told one of them had broken down and that we all needed to squash onto 3 buses. This was really tricky as we all had so much kit. And we're we're all soaked through to the bones and exhausted from our climb. Off we went though and tried to get as much sleep as possible. 

We arrived in wales at mount Snowdon at 7am and began our climb at 7:30am. I was so exhausted after the tiny amount of sleep I'd managed to get on the mini bus. I'd pulled my knee and groin but that wasn't going to stop me. I'm a Mclean and we are a very stubborn breed! So off I went. This was supposed to be the easiest of the 3 mountains- you had to be kidding!! It could of been because I was so knackered but I found this on really difficult! We went up the red route which was shorter in distance but a more difficult climb. We got to the top in 2.5 hrs, we had a quick photo and then went back down. It took us 3 hrs on the decent as we were all so tired.

Photo of me at the top. Having a quick refuel in the cafe before we went back down

I have never been so proud of myself to complete such a difficult challenge. It took us 27 hrs to complete the challenge, which I think was a fab time in the weather conditions and due to transport troubles. I am really feeling the burnt today though. I ache ever where and walking is interesting. I arrived home to a lovely bottle of fizz courtesy to my fab boyfriend. 

I've raised £770 so far for Mind and my total is still growing. Thanks so much to everyone who supported me and this wonderful cause. It is a cause very close to my heart and I feel fab that my hard work and determination will have helped many people get support for their mental illness. 

Theres still time to sponsor me if you want to- http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LaurenMclean 

You can also find out more about Mind and how to support them here- http://www.mind.org.uk/

The Hairy Bikers- Meals on wheels

To be honest I'm not normally a massive fan of the hairy bikers cookery programmes, but this one totally changed the way I felt about them. The programme was first aired in 2011. It was a really good 'feel good' show about them creating meals that could be delivered to the elderly in a small village. I think a lot of us don't really think about the elderly unless we have elderly grand parents or parents ourself. It was a real eye opener to how vulnerable and alone the elderly can be. It brought a tear to my eye! I'm really lucky as both of my grandparents are 77 and still very capable of looking after themselves and cooking meals. In fact they are never in as they always have some social event to attend! I really hope I'm like them when I'm older- they are very inspirational to me! 

Anyway, back to the programme... The whole enterprise 'Meals on Wheels' was run by volunteers. It's amazing how many good people are out there who want to give a couple of hours time to people who really appreciate it. It's quite shocking how the elderly featured in the programme, really relied on these visit and meals each week. I think to the majority of them, it wasn't just about getting some yummy, balanced and healthy food, it was about the company. For that half an hour or so they could chat away and you could see how happy they were. That feeling must be worth their weight in gold! I've had experience of this myself. Last Christmas me and my good friend Nichola volunteered on Christmas Day for a hospice in Leeds. All the patients in this hospital were seriously ill from cancer- it was very sad to see. It was a mixture of all ages. It was our job to work alongside the nurses and other volunteers, to serve them Christmas dinner. To me, it wasn't just about the Christmas dinner, the way some of the patients just enjoyed the company and having a chat. I learnt a lot that day about the patients lives, and it made me realise just how lucky I am! It also makes me sad to think that the friends I made that day are no longer around, but I feel happy that for that day I made them smile! This is how the programme made me feel.

I think we all should take inspiration from the programme and help our local elderly. It might be that there are no food delivery programmes in your area, but there are so many other ways you can help! You can volunteer at your local hospice, old people home, or just look after the elderly in the complex where you live. Don't forget, we all get old and it's lovely to think that some stranger could be there for us too! Go on, give up some of your spare time to help the elderly in your community!!!!

Jamie's money saving meals

This week saw the return of Jamie Oliver to our screens, with his new show  'Jamie's money saving meals' on Monday's at 8pm (Channel 4). He has done so much in his time. In this series he is trying to help people on the breadline eat fresh and quality food. This week we saw Jamie cooking a beef brisket for Sundaylunch. He then showed us how to use the left over meat the create simple and quick recipes. I actually quite enjoyed the show. It was quite interesting seeing how far a piece of beef could stretch. The only downside for me would be portion control- I'm rubbish at this!!! If its there, I want to eat it which defeats the point of the show. 

The only negatives I would say is I don't like the aesthetics of the show. I know Jamie is famous for his gritty, raw edge in the food industry but it was a little too gritty for my liking. I wouldn't want to cook in there! Also, some of the camera angles made me feel a bit sick! It was all a little too quick and the typography moving in and out of shot didn't help. 

As always, the food looked amazing and Jamie did a great job at presenting for the show. I think he would be a fab person to work for. Jamie- if your ever looking for a Food Photographer, get in touch ;-) Looking forward to the next episode to see how the show pans out. To find out more about the show please visit Jamies website- www.jamieoliver.com