A peak performance from Hartsfield Financial Services in their 3 Peaks challange
What a way to start September! Our corporate sponsors Hartsfield Financial Services completed the 3 peaks challenge this month and raised an incredible, life-changing £13,009 for us!
We asked them to write a guest blog about their experience so here’s their story…
“We set off from Bristol on Wednesday 1st September and boarded our flight to Inverness. Spirits were high as we talked training, tactics and fundraising targets! After dinner and a not-so-restful night’s sleep, we arrived at the Ben Nevis Visitor Centre ready to begin.
On arrival, the nearby peak didn’t look too overwhelming. Until someone pointed out the real Ben Nevis in the distance! Turns out, Ben Nevis is the highest of the peaks. And, unlike the other two mountains, the path starts close to sea level creating a much more vertical ascent. With a walking distance of 10.5 miles and an ascent of 1345 metres, we weren’t exactly easing ourselves into it.
We started our climb up Ben Nevis at 2.30pm. And it was tough. Tougher than our team had anticipated. As daylight disappeared, we zigzagged up to the rocky summit plateau, disconcerted by the unusual warmth. We arrived as darkness fell at 8.30pm, barely able to see the views below and returned to the bottom at 10.30pm.
Then, accompanied by snores, the support team began the mammoth drive from Fort William to Scafell Pike in the Lake District.
We arrived at dawn and commenced the second climb at 5.30am. The warm weather and clear skies created a beautiful backdrop for our ascent and the sun rose as we climbed, creating breath-taking views. We reached the top at 8.15am, which actually felt rather fast after the Scottish slog!
Time for another kip on the bus as we headed across to Snowdon, but we were all too full of adrenalin to sleep. 2 down and one to go.
Snowdon was a struggle. The lack of sleep and 2,000 meters of climbing we’d already done was taking its toll. But, news of our ever-increasing fundraising total was the final bit of motivation we needed. We made it to the top and took a moment to celebrate our achievement. Before realising we still had to walk back down!”
Phew, we feel exhausted just reading that! What an achievement for the 8 members of the Hartsfield team (not forgetting their dedicated support crew of course). They had an initial target of £10k which they smashed as they climbed each summit!
A huge thank you from the Sarah Jayne Charitable Trust to everyone who sponsored the Hartsfield team. And a heartfelt thank you for giving up your time and taking on this challenge.
This incredible amount of money will fund another Wizzybug powered wheelchair from Designability, giving a disabled child the joy of greater freedom and movement. Money raised will also pay for trauma counselling sessions through Wiltshire Mind as well as play sessions and a Christmas party for Incredible Kids.
If you’d like to raise money for the Sarah Jayne Charitable Trust and help local families overcome their mountains, get involved today.