On the first of May this year seven employees of TMA Compliance, based at Finham in Coventry embarked on a gruelling test of endurance and friendship, to take part in the 3 peaks Challenge, on behalf of WaterAid.
The 3 peaks challenge consists of an ascent on Ben Nevis (1344m) before transferring to the Lake District and climbing Scafell Pike (978m).The challenge finishes with an arduous ascent of Snowdon (1085m) in Snowdonia Wales.
The team left the Finham site to a small but supportive crowd, and the journey began; a 3 1/2 hour drive to Carlisle, where they would be camping for the night that took 6 hours due to the bank holiday traffic. The next day the team left Carlisle to begin their journey into where Ben Nevis awaited them.
“There we were standing at the foot of the mountain, it was a lovely spring day, we thought it would be a simple amble to the top, little did we know what lay in store for us!” Ben Nevis was going to plan for the group, who were on course to meet their target time of 24 hours for the whole challenge. As the group ascended further up Ben Nevis the weather started changing for the worst. “The weather was closing in on us, and as we raced to get to the top we were caught in a blizzard, and the visibility was nearly zero. We knew we were at the top of the mountain but we could not see the observatory or cairn. We were about to head back down when the storm cleared for one brief moment and we were literally a stones throw away from the observatory.”
The group descended Ben Nevis slowly as it was dark and they were caught in torrential rain. The elements were unforgiving, and this cost the team valuable time, as safety was paramount.
Scafell Pike was next, and due to the previous ascent the team were not at all looking forward to it. The ascent was steep and in some parts hazardous with no clear path to the top. “As they say, the middle one is always the toughest, and it was, in terms of mental strength, with the team’s enthusiasm being sapped on Ben Nevis. However, we got through it, and the team became a lot stronger and brimming with confidence on our way to Snowdon.
When the team arrived at Snowdon the group knew it was unlikely that we complete the challenge in the 24 hours (due to the terrible weather in ). However the team were up for the final test, to complete the challenge of climbing the highest peaks in , , and . “The ascent on Snowdon was quite gentle compared to the other two peaks, with just the top section being steep, unfortunately the café had closed, and so we took a photo at the summit, and left before the weather closed in.” Buoyed by having no more climbing to do, the team even started running some of the last descent to get a better time, and finished in just under 26 hours. Philip Bentham stated “I believe it was a great achievement, and with the horrendous weather in coupled with a minibus that had a restricted speed of 62 mph, it was the best we could have done as a team.”
The team raised around £2000 for WaterAid and are trying to get the last bit of sponsorship money in. This will go a little way to achieving WaterAid’s goal of a world where everyone has access to safe water and effective sanitation. The team also found the challenge to be a great bonding exercise, which was based on trust, and comradeship that will hold the team in good stead in their day to day roles.
“The Team would like to thank all those that sponsored us, as well as a massive thank you to Severn Trent Water, and COSC for all their help and support in organising and funding some aspects of the challenge”.
