Hey,

I hope you are having a lovely day!

On May 5th, I will be attempting to complete the ‘Yorkshire Three Peaks’ challenge alongside other 90 work colleagues. This challenge will be a memorial hike in honour of Marty Stephens, a colleague who passed away in 2022. The challenge consists of a 39km (24 miles) hike and a total ascent of 1585m (5200ft) to be completed under 12 hours. It takes on the peaks of Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside, and Ingleborough – these hills form part of the Pennine range and encircle the head of the valley of the River Ribble, in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

Why I am doing this challenge

In 2022, Marty was planning to gather the leadership team to climb the Yorkshire Three Peaks. He was doing this to bring together his passion for the great outdoors with the importance of building team spirit and collaboration. We felt it was only fitting to follow through on his plans with a memorial hike, reflecting on the good times spent together. Through this hike, we celebrate Marty’s life and legacy, and his passion for hiking.

The charity I am supporting

This challenge will be used to fundraise for the Scottish Mountaineering Trust (SMT). The SMT provides grants to projects and organisations that promote public recreation, knowledge and safe enjoyment of the mountains. It supports numerous initiatives, including mountaineering training, mountain rescue teams, renovation of club huts, educational/scientific expeditions, and footpath construction and maintenance. Being a Scot, who loved climbing and the outdoors, we couldn’t think of a better organisation to support in honour of Marty. For more information on the SMT and the projects they are involved with, please visit their website here: https://thesmt.org.uk/about-us/

My fundraising target is £200. Thank you all in advance for your kind generosity. No contribution or amount is small, every contribution goes a big way in making a difference :)

Kind regards,

Joao