Published: August 9, 2024
Unity Trust Bank colleagues are feeling on top of the world after scaling three Welsh mountains inside 24 hours. They completed the three peaks challenge to support food poverty charity FareShare Midlands.
Following months of planning and training, Seb Miles, Sarah Coley, Ailsa Neely, Emily Smith, David Robinson, Susan Duley, Ian Bowker, Sophie Johnson, Farrah Husseen, Harbinder Atwal and Nick Howard set out to walk 20.35 miles and make a total ascent of 9,397ft to reach the summits of Snowden, Cadair Idris and Pen-Y-Fan.
The intrepid colleagues raised £3,700 for the three peaks challenge. This will be matched £2:£1 by Unity making a total of £11,100.
Sarah Coley is IT Business Manager at Unity Trust Bank. She said: “We wanted a challenge that would make us push ourselves as well as raise money for a good cause. It certainly did that! The Welsh 3 Peaks are not for the fainthearted as we discovered. But, it was an incredible experience.
“We were all exhausted at the end and sore for a few days afterwards. However, it was nothing compared to the day-today struggles some people face because they can’t afford to feed their families. That’s why it’s so important to raise as much money as possible for FareShare Midlands. The charity provides food and support for people in need.”
To give an insight into what a Welsh 3 Peaks challenge involves, here’s 24-hour snapshot of what our inspirational colleagues endured:
Friday 3pm: Meet at Unity’s HQ in Brindleyplace, Birmingham, complete with walking gear and food supplies. Then, made the two and a half-hour journey by minibus to Dolgellau for an overnight stay in a ‘bunkhouse’. After homemade food, a briefing for the following 24 hours and plenty of camaraderie, it’s time for bed and some much-needed rest for the challenge ahead.
Saturday 3am: A quick breakfast and it’s back in the minibus for the trip to Snowden. The team is joined by Unity’s Chief Finance Officer Penny Hogan who hails from Wales and wants to support the first climb. A slight hiccup results in the minibus ending up in a ditch along the way… but thanks to tremendous #teamwork our colleagues are soon back on track.
5.30am: After travelling through beautiful countryside the team arrive at the foot of Snowden along with 100+ other climbers and fell runners, all eager to experience the adventure ahead.
8am: Thanks to a lot of effort and hard work walking up steep, rugged and often slippery paths, all 11 colleagues reach the summit and they are literally on Cloud 9 having completed the first challenge.
12pm: After their descent, a short rest and a sandwich packed lunch, the team make the 90-minute drive to Cadair Idris for the second ascent of the day. Very big steps for steep inclines are needed for this leg. Some of the team start experiencing knee and quad problems. The team successfully makes it to the summit though and some meet a few interesting characters along the way…
7-8pm: Time for more team bonding and a hot meal on the camp stove. The ‘walking wounded’ are tended to with icepacks and medications. Rested and recharged, the team then make the two-and-half-hour drive to Pen-Y-Fan.
10.45pm: It’s pitch black but with glow-in-the-dark jackets, headlamps and torches, colleagues start their final ascent of the day. They reached the summit and returning to base camp inside three hours. An incredible effort by all means the team completed their challenge inside the 24-hour window they’d set themselves.
Sarah said: “This challenge was tough for all of us. But, special praise is necessary for Seb Miles who managed to complete the Pen Y Fan despite an existing injury. He also had the extra responsibility as minibus driver, medic and safety coordinator.
“This was an achievement none of us will forget but we’re already talking about our next challenge.
“Working for a social impact bank like Unity means our values are at the heart of everything we do. We will continue to challenge ourselves and raise funds to support those who need it most.”
Volunteering and fundraising form part of the bank’s employee-led Unity & Me programme which also supports staff, customers and communities through the promotion of good mental health and wellbeing, greener environmental practices and diversity and inclusion.
