City bankers team up with Bermondsey youth centre to climb 3 mountains in 24 hours

May 15, 2012 - PRLog -- A team of 20 young people and staff from Salmon Youth Centre in Bermondsey are taking on the adventure of a lifetime next weekend to climb the highest mountains of England, Scotland and Wales – within 24 hours.

Partnering with staff members from Standard Chartered Bank in the City of London, the gruelling challenge will see the team scale Ben Nevis in Scotland, Scafell Pike in England, and Snowdon in Wales to complete the renowned Three Peaks Challenge from Thursday 24th to Friday 25th May 2012.

They will be following in the footsteps of Iraq War veteran Phil Packer and BBC presenter Kate Silverton, who braved blizzards and adverse weather conditions to complete the 26 mile trek in 2010.

Despite the obvious challenges, 16 year old Jack Clayton, a young volunteer at Salmon, is looking forward to it. He said: “I was going to do the London Marathon this year until I found out I was too young for it, so I set myself a challenge to do this instead and raise money for Salmon along the way. I’ve been coming to Salmon since I was 14 and being here has really changed me a lot – I’ve developed skills such as timekeeping, team work and leadership which will help me in future for jobs. I’m looking forward to completing the challenge in under 24 hours – with some time to spare!”  

Also excited is Nicholas Philpott, an FX COO Business Manager at Standard Chartered who will be bringing his army experience to the table. He said: “I’ve climbed all three mountains separately before but it’s my first time doing all three together. I’m extremely excited as it’s going to be a real challenge. It’s going to be a case of helping the kids complete what, for them, will be quite a task – something they’ve never done before. It’s a great experience and a gift for me to be able to help them achieve something which, for many of them, will be quite life-changing.”

The team are hoping to raise £10,000 to help fund Salmon’s work with disadvantaged young people in South London. To find out more and to make a donation, please visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser...

ENDS


NOTE FOR EDITORS

For more information or to arrange an interview with any of the team before or after the challenge, please contact Mildred Talabi, Communications Coordinator, on:

Tel: 0207 232 5303
Email: mildred.talabi@salmonyouthcentre.org


ABOUT THE SALMON YOUTH CENTRE

The Salmon Youth Centre in Bermondsey has been reaching out to young people in inner city London for over a hundred years. We are one of the largest youth centres in the UK with unique facilities worth over £11 million.

We are open five days a week, all year round, and provide educational and leisure services in the areas of arts, sports, youth projects (out of school activities, character-building expeditions, trips), and training and enterprise for young people in South London, aged from 6 to 26. Our activities include one-to-one work and a wide range of youth clubs, including sports and arts clubs, study groups, training for young volunteers, Duke of Edinburgh Award, and trips and residential.

Salmon has around 800 young people coming through our doors and using our facilities every week. For more information, please visit http://www.salmoncentre.co.uk


ABOUT STANDARD CHARTERED

Standard Chartered is a leading international banking group. It has operated for over 150 years in some of the world’s most dynamic markets and earns more than 90 per cent of its profits in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Standard Chartered PLC is listed on the London and Hong Kong stock exchanges as well as the Bombay and National Stock Exchanges in India.

With 1,700 offices in 70 markets, Standard Chartered offers exciting and challenging international career opportunities for nearly 87,000 staff. It is committed to building a sustainable business over the long term and is trusted worldwide for upholding high standards of corporate governance, social responsibility, environmental protection and employee diversity. The Bank’s heritage and values are expressed in its brand promise, ‘Here for good’. For more information, please visit http://www.standardchartered.com.


ABOUT THE THREE PEAKS CHALLENGE

The National Three Peaks Challenge is an event in which participants attempt to climb the highest mountains of Scotland, England and Wales within 24 hours. Walkers climb each peak in turn, and are driven from the foot of one mountain to the next. The three peaks are:

•   Ben Nevis (1,344 metres, 4,409 ft), the highest mountain in Scotland
•   Scafell Pike (978 m, 3,209 ft), the highest mountain in England
•   Snowdon / Yr Wyddfa (1,085 m, 3,560 ft), the highest mountain in Wales

The total distance walked is estimated at 42 kilometres (26 miles) or 44 km (27 miles), with a total ascent of 9,800 feet (3,000 m).