Six business professionals are preparing to climb Yr Wyddfa (1,085m), Cadair Idris (893m) and Pen-y-Fan (886m) within 24 hours to raise funds for Shelter Cymru.
The team from BNI Cardiff Bay are training hard for the gruelling Welsh Three Peaks Challenge, which will see them walk 17 miles with 2,334m of ascent to raise £1,000.
Jonathan Southgate, president of the business networking group, said: “This epic adventure isn’t just about testing our physical limits, it’s about making a difference to the lives of people in need.”
Lauren Carless, Justin Chaloner, Lisa Curtis, Paul Kerslake, Carl Postians and Jonathan Southgate will set out on Saturday 29 June, climbing Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) first.
The team said they’re expecting the challenge to be “gruelling” but “exhilarating” and have been preparing for several months, including hiking up Pen-y-Fan in the snow in March.
Last month, they walked the horseshoe ridge in the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) in just under five hours and are continuing to intensify their training.
Jonathan, of Sterling Southgate Mortgage and Protection Advisers, said: “Training is going well. We’re now in the phase of ramping up the training walks.
“We’re looking forward to raising as much money as possible for Shelter Cymru and working together as a team to get each other through this challenge.”
Business Network International (BNI) in Cardiff Bay previously announced they would support Shelter Cymru after learning how many people the charity helped in their local area.
In Cardiff alone last year, the people and homes charity helped 3,902 people – including 1,193 children – who were all facing or experiencing homelessness.
Jonathan said: “This fundraising event promises not only to push our boundaries, but also to provide vital support to people experiencing homelessness across our communities.
“Every step we take, every peak we conquer, brings us closer to our goal of creating a brighter future for people in need.”
The team are expecting the most difficult part of the challenge to be climbing Cadair Idris in the dark, but are looking forward to working together to support each other.
Jonathan added: “The middle peak is a night walk up Cadair Idris. We’ll likely be tired after walking Snowdon in the morning, so the legs will be hurting and, being a night walk, it’s more dangerous.”
Lauren, of Lauren Carless Financial Planning, recently raised £2,753.84 for Shelter Cymru by trekking to Everest Base Camp, covering 71 miles with 5,364m of altitude.
The rest of the team are Justin Chaloner, of Farsight Films; Lisa Curtis, of Lisa Curtis Estate Agent; Paul Kerslake, of Gateway 2 Conveyancing and Carl Postians, of CAPO Digital Accounting.
With less than a month to go, the team – who are hoping to raise at least £1,000 – said they’re feeling excited and nervous at the same time.
Jonathan said they decided to take on a challenge close to home first, adding: “But this may be the start of other challenges… We couldn’t be prouder to support such an amazing charity.”
Visit BNI Cardiff Bay’s Just Giving page to give now.
10 June 2024
By Liz Day
