 |
Lloyd's Agency3 Peaks Challenge |
 |
Seafarers UK - also known as King George's Fund for Sailors - provides a lifeline in troubled waters for seafarers and their families. Over the past ten years alone £26m has been granted to those who have risked their lives at sea. In 2005, to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, and Lord Nelson's life, Seafarers UK will launch a major appeal. The 200 Appeal target of £1m will provide 'lifeline' support to seafarers and their families facing tough times.
Lloyd's Agency Department has put together a team to take part in one of the Seafarers UK events.
In the space of 24 hours our team will climb Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon, the three highest peaks in Scotland, England and Wales. This is a tough event that will test the physical and mental stamina of our team members to the full, although this represents just half of the challenge. In addition, we will be challenged to raise at least £5,000 which will be used to provide vital support to seafarers and their families.
Challenge Day
We arrived at the Ben Nevis Visitor Centre later than we planned due to traffic problems. Bob and Mike prepared our pasta lunch while the other team members prepared for their first climb.
The weather was warm and partially sunny however Ben Nevis was shrouded in cloud, so we packed our backpacks with our waterproof clothing and fleeces. Once we’d been fed we headed off for our briefing, where we were given our survival tent and communication radio. We were taken to the start line and waited for the off.
At approximately 4.05pm we set off on the tourist path, a stony, uneven path which ascends steeply. Within an hour we were within the clouds and there was nothing to view other than the path ahead. The climb became steeper and wetter the further we progressed. As we proceeded up the mountain we were passed by most of the other teams, who encouraged us on our way. We tried to keep up with the RAF boys, but they too soon left us behind. By the time we reached the summit we were tired, wet and weary and some of us were suffering with the effects of having a late lunch. We started our descent following the same path and made it back to the camp before dark.
Bob and Mike gave us a warm welcome and had our food ready and waiting for us. Once we changed from our wet clothes and had been given our start time for Scafell Pike, it was all aboard the mini bus and off we went.
The journey to Scafell Pike took us through the long winding and sometimes bumpy roads out of Scotland and sleeping in the mini bus was not easy. We had an incident with a roaming Deer, which caused Bob to brake hard and some of us ended up on the floor in front of our seats. Fortunately no harm came to any of us or the Deer and we carried on our way.
We started our ascent of Scafell Pike at approximately 5.30am. It was a lovely sunny warm morning, perfect for walking, at least that's what we thought! The path started as a slow ascent along a well trodden easy to follow path. As we continued to climb the temperature rose too and our energy levels seemed to plummet. The path approached the summit via a rocky plateau where it became less defined. At this point we could see the pyramid shaped summit and our hearts sank as we realised we had to descend to the col before we could climb the final steep rugged path to the summit. We passed many of the other teams on their descent, all of whom told us it was a hard slog to the summit, but the views were well worth the effort. They were not wrong, the cloudless sky provided breathtaking views. We were able to see Northern Ireland. We soon started our descent following the same route. It was a fairly slow descent as we were feeling tired and extremley hot. We arrived back at the base at approximately 1pm and we realised we were not going to complete the challenge within 24 hours, but we were not disheartened. As long as we could finish the challenge, time would not be an issue for us. Once we'd freshened up and had been fed we were again on our way to the last peak. By now most team members were very tired and settled down in the bus to get some sleep.
When we arrived at Snowdon after a good sleep we were refreshed and ready to go! We set out at approximately 5pm. The sun was still blazing hot and we were warned to take extra water and hats. The path leading to the Llanberis pass started off really steep. Once on the Llanberis path, it levelled out and became a steady ascent. Again we passed many of the teams on thier decent and we warned them not to eat all the food and more importantly not to drink all the beer! Once passed the halfway house the path becomes much steeper and rugged as it follows the Snowdon railway. Some of the team members had climbed Snowdon as part of our training, so we knew the path would become steeper as we passed Clogwyn Station, but also we wouldn't have far to go. As we reached the summit we gave a cheer as the climbing was almost over. The view from the summit was breathtaking and we sat and chatted with other teams before we started our descent. We stepped up our pace on the way down determined not to be the last team off the mountain and longing for a nice cold beer and food, the party had started some 2 hours ago. As we neared the base we phoned our support team who gave us the news we'd been awarded the trophy for the team who had raised the most money. We were thrilled after all the event wasn't about speed it was about raising money and we had raised £8,000
When we arrived at the Victoria Hotel where the party was well under way we were greeted by all the other team members who cheered and clapped us over the finish line. We were handed the trophy and congratualted by the charity director as we were photographed. However all we really wanted were our cold beers! We didn't stay long at the reception as we were in need of a shower and a good night sleep.
The team would like to thank everyone who sponsored us and would like to give a special thank you to the Ford Motor Company who very kindly gave us the use of the mini bus arranged through Fleet Support Group. Also we'd like to thank our overseas Agents for thier outstanding support with sponsorship money.
Dispite the hard work and aches and pains we had a great time and are extremely proud at receiving the award which now has pride of place within the office.
Click photo's to enlarge.
Updated July 13, 2005
Please sponsor our team, you can donate securely on-line at
http://www.justgiving.com/LloydsAgency3PeaksChallenge
or by post, cheques made payable to 'Seafarers UK' to :
Lloyd's Agency Department, 3 Peaks Challenge, Lloyd's, One Lime Street, London EC3M 7HA.
To contact call +44 (0)20 7327 6552