To the top of Wales, down and up again...twice
In March we decided that it was about time we put down our mice, step away from our keyboards and do something for a cause that was greater than ourselves. We debated what that something should be and we all agreed that if we were asking for sponsorship, it should be a challenge painful enough to justify our patron’s generosity. After eliminating various ideas, some too easy and others that would surely result in hospitalisation, we settled on the Welsh 3 Peaks Challenge.
We would need to summit the three highest peaks in Wales; Snowdon, Cadair Idris and Pen y Fan in 24 hours. Walking aside, the distance between the mountains without a motorway connecting North and South Wales, would mean that time itself would not be on our side. We would need to walk up three mountains and we would need to walk quickly!
Challenge decided we quickly agreed on a worthy cause; Hand in Hand for Syria. Since the conflict in Syria began in 2011 the media has been flooded with images of Syrian refugees fleeing the conflict zone. Hand in Hand for Syria helps those left behind. In February 2016 the United Nations estimated 6.6 million people had been internally displaced. Hand in Hand for Syria works in areas most aid agencies can’t operate, providing lifesaving aid to those most in need.
At 6am on 25th June we began our challenge at the foot of Mount Snowdon. Over the next 15 hours we had bouts of vertigo, extreme exhaustion, injuries, sickness, insect bites, tears and wrong turns on foggy paths. However with a massive sense of achievement the entire team managed to summit the final peak, something that none of the other teams we had met that day achieved. We gained a unique team bond that can only be achieved by pushing each other past comfort zones to the brink of exhaustion and physical pain, something frowned upon in most modern workplaces! Most importantly we exceeded our £1000 fundraising target for a very worthwhile cause and we couldn’t be happier.
