Leading UK firms get ready to conquer the Ben Nevis Challenge

Leading UK firms get ready to conquer the Ben Nevis Challenge

11/04/2008

Employees from some of the UK’s leading companies have signed up to take part in the ultimate team challenge – Britain’s first ever ascent of Ben Nevis led by disabled people in wheelchairs on 31st May 2008.
 
Staff from Barclays, Blackbaud, Burness (the event sponsor), the Mountain Misfits (which include members from Redpath Bruce, DSV and Burness LLP), Lombard and Swift Mobility will be taking part in this exciting challenge.
 
Two of the UK’s leading disability organisations, Capability Scotland and Scope, have joined forces with Beyond Boundaries presenter and ex-SAS Major, Ken Hames to organise this challenge.  Teams from both charities will also be taking part in the event, bringing the total number of teams to eight.
 
The challenge will involve teams of disabled and non-disabled people working together to conquer Britain’s highest peak. Each team of six people will be led by a wheelchair user, who will help navigate and direct their team up to the summit in the quickest time.
 
Each team has to raise £10,000 for the event which will be used to support services for disabled children and adults throughout the UK.
 
The ground breaking challenge event is the brainchild of Ken Hames and Philip Rodney, chairman of leading Scottish law firm Burness. Inspired by the Beyond Boundaries 3 documentary in which Ken crossed the Andes with two wheelchair users, the pair came up with the idea of an event to both challenge and develop staff from leading companies and help achieve disabled people’s equality.
 
Ken Hames said: “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take part in the ultimate team challenge and it’s fantastic that some of the UK’s leading companies have signed up for this exciting and worthwhile event. 
 
“It will certainly test their powers of leadership, teamwork and communication skills. However, the sense of achievement, valuable skills developed and positive impact on staff morale will have important benefits for all the companies involved that extend far beyond the event itself.”
 
Philip Rodney, Chairman at Burness LLP said:
 
“We are delighted to be involved with the Ben Nevis Challenge. The fact that the team leaders in this event to climb Scotland’s highest mountain are wheelchair users will play a major part in raising awareness about disabled people’s equality. A valuable by-product for us is that the challenge will provide a practical application of our team building at Burness and gives us all the opportunity to participate in a truly worthwhile event which reinforces our core values.”
 
 
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For photo’s, interviews and further information please contact Raemond Charles in the Capability Scotland press office on 0131 347 1015 or email raemond.charles@capability-scotland.org.uk or Julie Burley in the Scope press office on 0207 619 7372 or email julie.burley@scope.org.uk

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