Next month, (16-17th June, to be precise) an intrepid team of Ground and Water staff will be taking on the 3 peaks challenge.

For those unfamiliar with the concept, this involves scaling the highest peaks in Scotland, England, and Wales, all in the space of 24 hours. Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike, and Snowdon are each fairly daunting individually but, combined into an endurance challenge which involves walking the same distance as a marathon whilst also achieving an overall climb of approximately 10,000 ft, this is certainly not for the faint-hearted!

Any slightly foolhardy effort like this should really be seen as an opportunity to support a worthy cause, and in this case, there are a few on our team’s minds. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has affected countless people inside the country and elsewhere around the world, and a portion of our funds will go directly to a group that drives around Kharkiv in the North East of the country distributing food, water, and other supplies to people who are under active attack.

Another cause close to everyone’s hearts is Cancer Research UK. You’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone who has not been directly affected by cancer in some way, shape, or form, but the last few months have seen our director Fran undergoing treatment and showing tremendous composure in the face of a diagnosis which would hit most for six. Now out the other side and sporting a particularly bad-ass scar for his troubles, Fran and the rest of the team would like to give a little back by donating some of the proceeds of this venture to CRUK.

Often overlooked in efforts such as these are those organisations who keep people as safe as possible during such challenges. While the peaks of our green and pleasant land may not be on a par with Everest or K2, they are not without their dangers. Mountain rescue organisations are both busy and vital, and we don’t want to contribute to them being overstretched. As such, we will also be donating to those mountain rescue charities that cover each of the mountains we will be scaling.

Be sure to keep an eye on social media for regular updates when it comes to prep, the challenge itself, and the progress of our fundraising efforts! All money will be collected from a single page www.justgiving.com/ and we thank you in advance for any contributions or any sharing of this link.