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Friday, 6 June, 2003, 13:30 GMT 14:30 UK

Snowdon challenge for fridge man

Paul McElvy An ex-Marine is walking across north Wales on his way to Snowdonia - with a 40kg fridge strapped to his back.

After walking about 100 miles from Liverpool to Snowdon, Paul Mckelvey is going to climb the 1,085m mountain, still carrying his unusual burden.

Mr Mckelvey, 35, decided to undertake the walk for a Zoe's Place, a charity working with terminally ill children in his home city.

But this is not the first time he has performed the unusual feat.

He carried out the same walk 13 years ago for a different charity.

And he has carried a fridge from Liverpool to London to raise money for Weston Spirit, the charity set up by former Welsh Guard Simon Weston.

Mr Mckelvey is hoping to get about £5,000 this time from his heavily-laden journey.

" He's got two children and they proud as punch of him "
Paul Preston

He is carrying the fridge because he thinks it will draw the public's attention and help raise more money for the charity.

His brother-on-law Paul Preston, who is acting as Mr Mckelvey's back-up during the journey, said: "It sticks out to people, the fridge - it's an unusual thing to be carrying."

Mr Preston said five years in the Royal Marines had prepared his brother-in-law for anything and described him as "enormously strong".

Mr Preston added: "He does training in the gym regularly and he walks a lot.

"He's got two children and they proud as punch of him."

The former Royal Marine has averaged 30 miles per day, leaving early in the morning.

He has reached Betws-y-Coed, and is planning to begin the ascent of Snowdon on Saturday morning.

He is not the first person to take a fridge on an unusual journey.

Comedian Tony Hawk spent a month travelling around the coast of Ireland with a fridge following a drunken bet.

He wrote a book based on the experience, unsurprisingly titled Round Ireland with a Fridge.


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Related to this story:
Novel fridge cools with sound (04 Dec 02  |  Technology )
Fridge recycling plant opens (01 Jul 02  |  Wales )
Quest to rename Snowdon (17 Apr 03  |  Wales )
'Slum' replacement revealed (16 May 03  |  North West Wales )

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Zoe's Place
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