Portland College

June 17 2011

Portland staff conquer the Three Peaks Challenge

Between 26th and 27th May 2011, a team of Portland College staff completed the Three Peaks Challenge to start the fundraising campaign towards a new Leisure Centre.

The nine team members, drawn from all over the College, had set themselves the challenge of walking up and down the three highest mountains in the UK in just 24 hours.

Months of training and preparation paid off, as the team reached the summits of Ben Nevis, in Scotland, Scafell Pike, in England, and Snowdon, in Wales. Completing the first mountain in the dark and battling against sleep deprivation, exhaustion and altitude, the team travelled more than 450 miles, walked 25 miles and climbed a staggering 10,000 feet in conquering the three mountains. The team completed the challenge in 23 hours and 44 minutes.

Paul Watts, Marketing and Communications Executive and one of the intrepid team, said, “It was the first time that most of us had tackled something as intense as the Three Peaks Challenge. Pulling together as a team and focusing on the key reasons for completing the challenge helped us overcome the most difficult times during the 24 hours. It is an experience that we’ll never forget and we are thrilled to kick-start the fundraising for the new Leisure Centre too.”

Overall, through completing the Three Peaks and other fundraising activities, the team have managed to raise approximately £4,500 with monies still being collected.

If you would like to make a donation following the challenge, all contributions are very gratefully received. Visit the College’s Justgiving site at www.justgiving.com/portlandcollege or contact the Fundraising department on 01623 499164 for more information.