Macquarie European Financials team plus extras - Ed, Anna, Namita, Patrick and Robin - aim from time to time to complete a challenge that both gets us out from behind our desks and raises money for amazing local charities - which Macquarie has kindly agreed to match fund up to A$25,000. 

This year we are climbing Mont Blanc for three charities including West Kent Mind.  West Kent Mind works to transform the lives of all children and adults affected by mental health problems, believing that no-one should battle a mental health problem alone.   

Mental health problems affect all of us - through loved ones, friends, or even personally simply because life is stressful and difficult at times.  Approximately 1 in 4 of us will experience a mental health problem every year from mild anxiety through to clinical depresssion or worse ... West Kent Mind has been operating for over 50 years supporting, advising and counselling local people and is one of 140 local Mind associations affiliated to the national charity, Mind.  Mind provides advice and support to 375,000 people a year through local Mind services, approximately 65,000 queries answered by dedicated Helplines and nearly 11m visits to the mental health pages of Mind.org.uk.  

To help raise essential funds, our team of novices plan to climb the summit of Mont Blanc - which at 4,810 metres above sea level is not only the highest mountain in the Alps (and the 11th highest in the world by topographical prominence), it is also Western Europe's deadliest mountain.

Please help us make sure that every metre we climb helps someone with a serious mental health problem by giving a little (or a lot - we're not fussy!) to this fabulous cause.   

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure - your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails.  By kindly donating today, your money will go directly to West Kent Mind. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity. 

Thank you so much for your support - we really appreciate it. 

Edward, Anna, Namita, Patrick and Robin