Six hardy Birmingham bankers are putting their best feet forward
to mark the start of Yorkshire Bank's link-up with Mary Stevens
Hospice in Stourbridge.
Ashley Cooper, Richard Manning, Peter Horsley, Mahmood Sharif,
Steve Lewkowicz and Ian Markham, who all work at Yorkshire Bank's
Financial Solutions Centre in Temple Row in the city centre, are
preparing to undertake the Three Peaks Challenge on Friday and
Saturday (June 4 and 5).
The marathon trek represents the first of a series of
fundraising events as part of the bank's Help the Hospices Appeal,
which nationally has raised £950,000 within six months.
Ashley, who lives two miles away from the hospice in Hagley
Road, and his fellow walkers will be climbing Ben Nevis, Snowdon
and Scafell Pike within 24 hours assisted by support crew and
colleagues Andy Bartle, Joanne Lane and Caroline Dredge.
Ashley said: "We have never done anything like this before
particularly in 24 hours. I am a little bit apprehensive but I am
looking forward to it.
"Instead of taking the lift, I have been climbing the 12 flights
of stairs at the bank every morning which is 256 steps!
"A couple of weekends ago we went to Snowdonia and climbed up
and down the mountain twice. It was testing and there was still
snow on the top. It gave us an interesting insight as to how it
might be and we refined our route afterwards.
"People in the office have friends who have been cared for at
Mary Stevens Hospice and we are aiming to raise as much money as we
can since they are our new charity partner. We are hoping to raise
about £3,000 in the Three Peaks Challenge."
Janet Jones, of the Mary Stevens Hospice, said she was looking
forward to working with Yorkshire Bank.
She added: "We were really pleased to be chosen as Yorkshire
Bank's charity and they have been really approachable and very
supportive. It is quite a challenging mission the six staff are
taking on but I am sure they will complete it and we wish them all
the best of luck."