A World Record Holder and Environmental Champion and her daughter have just completed the three highest peaks in the UK for Women’s Aid.

Kiko Matthews and her three-year-old daughter Ocean climbed Snowdon on 17th July Scarfell Pike on 31st and Ben Nevis on 11th August.

Having escaped an abusive relationship, Kiko chose to raise money for the charity that supports women and children and saves them from domestic violence. 

“People often think of domestic violence as physical, black eyes, slaps, punching etc but it is in fact a lot more than that,” Kiko told the Beacon.

“Sexual, coercive control, threatening, psychological, emotional, financial and social abuse are also considered domestic violence and the prevalence is a lot higher than you’d think,” she added.

“So much goes unreported and many women and children continue to live in abusive relationships because they don’t know where to turn or how to get out. I was one of the lucky ones and Women’s Aid here in Wales and in New Zealand where I’ve been with my ex, have been invaluable.

Ocean learnt to walk independently in March when she had just turned three and Kiko explained: “ she’s very hypermobile so I carried her on my back for the majority of the climbs but she loved giving it a go for small sections.

“I wanted to do this challenge to raise the money to say thanks, awareness of the charity and their support but also to show my little girl what women are capable of and how fun the outdoors and challenges are. She loved every minute (about 20hrs in total) of the walks and the camping that went along side it. I can’t recommend the outdoors enough, both for mental and physical health but also to get our kids out in nature.”

Kiko also broke the record for solo rowing across the Atlantic from Gran Canaria to Barbados after brain surgery in 2017.

Her tale of success followed a diagnosis in 2009 with Cushings Disease, a rare and life-threatening condition which causes tumours on the pituitary gland - the gland that controls the body's hormone production.