Brothers Tim and Nick Jephson who run the Kennet Pharmacy in Marlborough hope to have hit on the right prescription to raise a lot of money for the Prospect Hospice.

The pair of pharmacists are planning to lead a team on the Three Peaks challenge climbing the highest summits in England, Scotland and Wales – a total of more than 11,000 feet – in aid of the Prospect Hospice.

The challenge is to complete the arduous triple climb and scramble in less than 24 hours.

The brothers, whose parents and sister are all pharmacists too and run the Jephson Pharmacy in Wroughton, have never done anything like it before said Tim Jephson, 34 and five years younger than his brother.

He said: “We wanted to raise some money for the Prospect Hospice towards the good work it does and we thought this would be a good way.”

They are roping in three or four friends to join them in the challenge and they have set a fund raising target of £5,000.

They start at midday on Saturday September 12 by climbing Ben Nevis (1,344 metres or 4,409 feet) and then after a motorway dash south into England the team members will make a night time climb of Scafell Pike (978 metres or 3,208 feet) and then face another cross country drive to North Wales to climb Snowdon (1,085metres or 3,559) feet.

In total they will be walking about 25 miles with most of it hard going as they scramble up to the summits.

The only rest the team will get will be on the journeys between the peaks when they will be able to snatch some sleep as volunteers drivers take them on the 450 miles by road.

Donations can be made through either the Marlborough or Wroughton pharmacies or on the web site: www.justgiving.com/tim-jephson.

n Six friends from Chippenham are also preparing to push themselves to the limit when they take on the Three Peaks challenge to raise £5,000 for Help For Heroes.

The group led by Ricky Humphreys, 24, sets off on September 5.