Smith Consult conquer the Three Peaks in support of Penny Brohn UK
On Saturday 16th September, an intrepid team of 6 adventurers from Smith Consult (the ‘Peaky Climbers’) took on their biggest challenge yet; the Three Peaks. We sat down with Catherine, Josie and Charlotte from Smith Consult to find out how the challenge went and what it meant to the whole team to be able to support Penny Brohn UK in this way.
So first off, why did you choose to support Penny Brohn UK?
Smith Consult always like to support local charities, and Penny Brohn UK is local to our offices in Clevedon. Over the last few years we’ve been supporting the Grand Appeal and we decided it was time to show our support for another organisation. Lots of people are affected by cancer every year, and when we mentioned Penny Brohn UK, one of our Apprentice’s, Josie, mentioned that she had personal experience with the charity directly.
“My Mum was supported by Penny Brohn UK in 2019 following her cancer diagnosis and through her chemotherapy treatment. She was offered a mediation and exercise session along with an acupuncture session. These treatments provided a period of respite in a touch time for her. Being able to meet and talk with other people going through a similar experience was a real benefit to her, and looking back we are very grateful that Penny Brohn UK were able to provide these services.” ~ Josie
After hearing that, it was a no brainer that we would choose to support Penny Brohn UK.
Why take on the Three Peaks Challenge?
Engineering Apprentice, Charlotte was the mastermind behind the whole plan.
“My entire childhood was spent hiking and I’ve always had a challenge going on in the background during my adult life, most recently partaking in triathlons. When I joined Smith Consult it was a great opportunity to take on the Three Peaks challenge and get my colleagues involved, whilst raising money for a great cause.” ~ Charlotte
In the end a team of 6 walkers from Smith Consult signed up, with an extra 2 joining the team for the journey as designated drivers and support crew. On Saturday 16th they flew up to Scotland, and started their journey up Ben Nevis. Following the famous Scottish summit they made their way up Scafell Pike, in the Lake District before the final leg at Yr Wyddfa, Snowdonia. They completed the challenge in an incredible 23 hours and 42 minutes, getting over that finish line with just 18 minutes to spare!
What was your most challenging moment?
“For me it had to be Scafell Pike, as we had to start the climb at 3 in the morning. We were just coming off the back of Ben Nevis, and nobody got any quality (or quantity) of sleep in the car, so it was a real struggle!” ~ Charlotte
“I’d agree, Scafell was tough and slippery coming down – so we had to be incredibly careful on tired legs! But the team were good at pulling together when we all needed it throughout the whole challenge.” ~ Josie
“The end of Snowdon was a bit of a mad dash too. It was the last mountain we had, and we only had 3 hours to do it. We checked on the way there and all searches were saying an average of 4-7 hours, so there was only one thing for it. We all changed into our trainers and ran/jogged up the mountain! The weather was so abysmal, incredibly windy that we almost got blown off the top!” ~ Charlotte
Catherine, Office Manager, was meanwhile at home keeping an eye the live tracker and calling the drivers to check in periodically.
“It was incredibly nerve-wracking to be so far away and not really know what was happening. At one point I called the team when they were descending Ben Nevis and the drivers were still waiting for them to appear and all of a sudden one of them shouted ‘I can see their lights! They’re coming!’.” ~ Catherine
What was your biggest highlight?
Both Charlotte and Josie were in agreement with this one; “The sunset at the top of Ben Nevis was absolutely beautiful. We got some stunning photos at the top and it really gave every a big boost to go on and complete the rest of the challenge.”
“I think there was also the moment that we got to the top of Ben Nevis, it felt like such a real sense of achievement. We really felt like we were in the thick of the challenge, and with it being the hardest mountain, we’d managed to conquer the biggest hurdle.” ~ Charlotte
For Smith Consult, what’s the most rewarding thing about supporting a charity in this way?
Being a local charity, you really feel like every penny you raise goes directly to supporting people on an individual level, and if it can help anyone feel even a little bit better; then we’ve done something truly good.
“As a company, to know you’re doing something as big as the Three Peaks Challenge for a charity, it helps you dig that little bit deeper along the way”. ~ Charlotte
We were able to raise over £2,000 with this challenge alone, and we’re so proud and thankful to everyone who supported us by giving. We’re thinking of doing something every other year, so hopefully we can come up with something equally as adventurous for the next one!
What would you say to other companies who were thinking about supporting Penny Brohn UK?
From beginning to end the team at Penny Brohn UK have been super supportive, and you really get the sense that they care about us. We’ve received little messages of support along the way, including on the day of the challenge itself and a check in once they were all back.
It’s so nice to work with a charity that seems truly enthusiastic about what they do, and for us it makes the whole effort worth it.
We’d like to thank Smith Consult for sharing their experience. The words used are preferred by Smith Consult. Penny Brohn UK encourages everyone to use their own words to tell their story. If you have any questions about any of the language used, please email comms@pennybrohn.org.uk.