To make a donation, please visit our fundraising page!

All money raised will go towards the Youth Adventure Programme: an outdoor youth development course that provides young people between 11 and 14 years old a chance to try new things and challenge themselves. The programme enables them to experience success, learn to go beyond their own expectations and grow in confidence.

A love of the outdoors came to me late in life, I was already 30 when I climbed Snowdon for the first time. Getting to the top gave me a sense of achievement I’d never experienced before. The confidence it gave me crossed over into my professional life so around this time my career in financial services really started to develop.

Now I’m lucky enough to live on the doorstep of the South Downs. At the weekend I get on the goretex and get up a big hill – it helps me deal with any anxiety I’m experiencing. Time spent outdoors is proven to have a positive impact on mental health. In 2015 Researchers at Stanford University found that being outdoors in nature helped reduce depressive thoughts.

Giving young people the opportunity to experience challenges in the outside world is hugely important to me and that’s why I’m taking part in this challenge. Our team will be hiking up three of England’s highest peaks, mountain biking 45 km, and then topping it off with a 5km kayak. It’s going to be tough, so please give generously if you can!