Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks Employees Prepare to Climb UK’s Highest Mountain for Help the Hospices

21st August 2014

Employees from Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks will be pulling on their hiking boots on 5th September for a spectacular ‘Trek the Ben’ fundraising climb in support of Help the Hospices – the UK’s leading charity for hospice care.

A total of 93 participants will take part in the challenge to climb Ben Nevis; it will last up to eight hours and see the group tackling rough terrain, steep climbs, snowy ground and finally crossing the boulder field to the summit cairn.

The Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks employees will be taking part in the event with Help the Hospices Chief Executive David Praill and senior staff at the Banks, as they ‘Trek the Ben’ to reach the highest point on the British Isles, at 1,343m above sea level.

Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks have been working in partnership with Help the Hospices for seven years raising more than £3.5million for hospice care to date. Their combined efforts from the ‘Trek the Ben’ initiative are expected to raise over £60,000 for Help the Hospices after the Banks match fund their employees’ fundraising donations.

Jacqui Atkinson, Community Support Manager at Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks, said: “We are very pleased at the number of employees who have signed up to take part in the ‘Trek the Ben’ fundraising challenge, raising funds to support the valuable work of Help the Hospices.”

David Praill, Chief Executive of Help the Hospices, said: “Trek the Ben is a demanding challenge but that hasn’t dampened the enthusiasm from staff at Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks. This is another great example of the amazing support that they have shown Help the Hospices over the last seven years, and to have so many people taking part is simply wonderful.”

The ‘Trek the Ben’ initiative is the latest phase in Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks’ award-nominated partnership with Help the Hospices, supporting people with terminal or life-limiting conditions and helping them to live as well as they can to the end of their lives. The £3.5million raised so far has supported nearly 100 hospices around the UK in their vital work; in addition employees from the Banks have given over 31,000 volunteering hours to their local hospices.