FPB reaches new heights for charity
The sponsored expedition saw the intrepid quartet scale more than 10,000 feet, taking in the summits of Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon. Leader of the expedition and the FPB's IT Manager, Kevin Dowle, said it was a baptism of fire in Scotland: "We started bright and early, at around 4.30am, aiming to complete the entire challenge by 4.30pm the following day. Scotland was cold and wet, and by the time we reached the summit of Ben Nevis we were in three inches of snow, being buffeted by gale-force winds. It was certainly an eventful start!" The team made good progress however, and were down the mountain and speeding their way southwards towards the Lake District by 9am. FPB Media and PR Officer Matt Hardman takes up the story: "Legs were a little stiff by the time we reached Scafell Pike seven hours later. The biggest challenge was motivating ourselves to start our second mountain in 24 hours. Scafell proved to be quite a challenge on tired legs." The peak, more than 2,800 feet high, proved to be a steep climb, over difficult terrain, including a final 50 feet of slippery scree. However, by 7.30 that night they were on their way back from the summit, looking forward to an early night. Kevin Dowle said that by this stage the wear and tear was starting to show: "As we came down Scafell Pike our knees began to throb with every step. The hard rock steps of Ben Nevis earlier that morning and now the tallest mountain in England were taking their toll on our joints. By the time we reached the car each one of us was aching and sore and in need of a good night's sleep." The next morning the weary team of four were once again on the road, this time to Wales to face their final challenge, Snowdon. "We'd set ourselves the target of 36 hours," explained Matt Hardman. "We knew that some people did it in 24 hours, some in 48 and whilst we weren't beginners, we were being realistic. By the time we reached the foot of Snowdon however the pressure was on. It was 2 o'clock and we had just two and a half hours to reach the peak." With just 15 minutes to spare, the four hoisted the FPB flag at the summit of Snowdon, their one remaining task to get back down. "It was much harder than we all expected." said Kevin Dowle, "By the end of the second day we were all pretty exhausted and again it was the long trudge down hill that did damage to our legs. But are very pleased to have got there in the end." The sponsored Three Peaks Challenge follows on from the Wilmslow Half Marathon which the FPB entered earlier in the year raising over £300 for CCLG. The FPB also holds dress down days every Friday and, including the three peaks money, has now raised more than £2,200 in 2007, following on from the £2,500 raised in 2006. Later in the year the FPB will hold an auction in aid of CCLG at the National Small Firms' Summit. Those who still wish to make a donation to CCLG following the FPB's Three Peaks Challenge can do so by logging on to http://www.cclg.org.uk/, clicking on the ‘make a donation' link and mentioning FPB's Three Peaks Challenge in the comments box.