A 64-year-old Lindley parishioner who served as a church warden for 17 years has powerlifted the entire weight of St Stephen’s Church Tower to raise over £1,000 for its repair.
Glenn Stewart completed the challenge in 13 weeks by lifting 40,000 kilos each week, making the cumulative lifted weight over 500,000 kilos – the weight of St Stephen’s Bell Tower.
Since he has completed ‘The Tower of Strength’ challenge he has raised over £1,000, but he is now looking to reach the £2,000 mark.
Glenn says, “I was lifting 40,000 kilos per week and I kept a track of the cumulative weight and found objects which the children at church could relate to.”
By the first week of his challenge Glenn had lifted the weight of five double decker buses, by the third week he had lifted the maximum cargo weight for a Antonov aircraft, by the sixth week the weight of a mining dump truck, by the tenth week he had lifted the weight of The Statue of Liberty and by the end of the challenge Glenn had cumulatively lifted the approximate weight of two and a half blue whales, or the weight of St Stephen’s Bell Tower.
The money that Glenn raises is going towards St Stephen’s repair project, named ‘Building for the Future’.
The project, which has been partly funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, will cost the church at least £250,000 with the current phase of work taking place on the church representing £144,000 of the investment.
Glenn explains, “I have been power lifting since I was 40 and at the tender age of 64 I am now training regularly above the world records for my age.
“I hold two unofficial world records for bench press and squat for my age.”
He has a rigorous fitness regime which involves a one mile swim each morning and strength/cardio training every lunchtime – Mondays dedicated to bench and upper body, Tuesday and Thursday to cardio, Wednesdays to shoulders and back, and Fridays to his legs.
Glenn adds, “Anyone wishing to sponsor me, please send a check to St Stephens PCC and address it: “Tower of Strength Challenge”, Glenn Stewart, 86 West Street, Lindley, Huddersfield, HD3 3JX.”
Glenn started the ‘Tower of Strength’ with a Broad Yorkshire poem that he wrote (below), motivating himself through the challenge.
Tower O’Strength
In ‘uddersgate, famed for its weather
Up north weir it’s borin’ and slow
Lives a strongman called Glenn Stewart
‘e lifts big weights reight high and reight low.
He’s set issen ‘ter lift yon tower
Weir t’ bells ring aht nah and then
Ter call fowks t’t worship is what they’r fer
An they stop people going rand t’bend.
Now t’t bell tower’s a mighty construction
‘ahr Bernard sais usin’ t’ times table
Weighs 500 tonnes na more
‘an Glenn mabe’ll lift it, if ‘es able.
In t’ gym each week Glenn recons
‘e’ll lift 40,000 kilos er more
An just ta mak sure that ‘e doesit
They shut and padlock t’ door!
Each week t’ lad’ll tell yer ‘is total
‘ov horses, an elephants an buses
An ‘e’s gorra carryon doin it
Till 2 ½ Blue Whales ‘e pushes.
Wi ‘is arms an legs a kimbo
Wi grunts, an pants, an blushes
‘e’ll carry on this monstrous feat
Till t’ blood to ‘is head it rushes.
Nah, tha’s got ter do thi part
An ‘elp ‘im fer t’tower, ter raise t’cash
And then, when ‘es done ‘is haif million
In t’t Community Room we’ll come, an ‘av a bash.