Three Peaks trek aids charity

Jul 4 2008 by Michael Green, Chester Chronicle

PROPERTY developers have been scaling the heights in aid of charity.

A five-strong team from Chester based Barlows plc, none of whom had climbed before, successfully completed the Three Peaks Challenge, raising more than £6,500 for Leukaemia Research.

The team left their desks in Dee Hills Park and completed the course in 23hrs 25 minutes.

The challenge involves climbing the three highest peaks in England (Scafell Pike), Scotland (Ben Nevis) and Wales (Snowdon) within 24 hours.

It covers about 25 miles on foot with a total elevation of 3,407 metres and 482 miles of driving between mountains.

The team drove themselves and encountered “absolutely foul” conditions on Ben Nevis with snow and wind apart from tackling Scafell Pike in darkness.

Their preparations involved training on Snowdon and a recce of Scafell.

“The weather was reasonably kind, although nothing could have prepared us for the wind chill factor at the summit of Ben Nevis,” said team member, Hannah Bentley.

Barlows specialises in the investment and development of commercial property with a focus on the North West.

The company is currently working in partnership with Chester City Council on two large commercial developments in the city involving a seven-acre site opposite Chester City Football Club, known as the Autozone and a 5.5-acre site, known as Gorse Stacks, which is set to provide mixed use retail, office and hotel accommodation.