A group of 17 intrepid adventurers recently took on the National Three Peaks Challenge and raised over £9,000 for the Barts Health Violence Reduction Service, the firm’s first ever charity of the year. Setting out on their gruelling trip the team travelled nearly the entire length of Britain to walk the three tallest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales.

After a 6am start in Scotland to reach the summit of Ben Nevis, which is the UK’s tallest mountain at an impressive 4,411 ft tall, the team immediately hit the road to tackle England’s tallest peak, Scafell Pike, measuring 3,209 ft. Finally, a dash over to Wales (by which time it was 3am and pitch dark!) saw an already tired group take on Snowdon, which soars to 3,560 ft above ground level. In total, the walkers covered 23 miles and climbed 10,052 ft.

Mark Waring, Partner, reflects on the experience: “Many of us had never set foot on a mountain before, and no level of training can fully prepare you for the daunting challenge of tackling the ‘three big ones’! By the time we reached Snowdon, we were all having to dig really deep into our reserves, but it certainly helped being part of such a big group – we were all keeping each other going through the blisters, tired limbs and sleep deprivation! Of course, the amount of money raised for such an important cause makes the whole thing worthwhile.”

The Barts Health Violence Reduction Service is the UK’s first programme to offer specialist ward-side intervention to victims of knife crime. By working with stab victims at the moment they are most likely to listen – following life-saving surgery – the Service hopes to prevent them from returning to a life of violence. The firm is working hard to support the Service in its vital work during 2018-19, with a specific focus on raising funds to employ a Violence Reduction Nurse at the Royal London Hospital.

James Roberts, Managing Partner, commented “We put a great deal of thought into choosing our first charity of the year, and the Barts Health Violence Reduction Service is doing such vital work in the community at a point where knife crime is reaching critical levels. It really has been gratifying to see how much passion and effort the entire firm has put into fundraising thus far; we are all very proud that 17 people took the time to sign up for this not inconsiderable challenge and raised such an impressive sum.”