To raise money for the charity Railway Children, Avanti West Coast employees are undertaking the National Three Peaks Challenge.

Taking part in the challenge are Lucy Weilding (Governance Coordinator), Craig Mortiboys (Regional Growth Manager), Sandi Sidhu (Performance Project Manager), and Andy Doyle (Head of Operational Readiness).

This physically demanding challenge will see them complete gruelling treks across Mount Snowdon in Wales, Scafell Pike in the Lake District and Ben Nevis in Scotland.

They start tomorrow (26th June), when a charter train from Crewe will transport the 200 participants to Bangor, where they will start their trek up Snowdon.

Once they have completed Snowdon, an overnight train will take them to Ravenglass in the Lake District for their morning trek up Scafell Pike.

They will arrive at Fort William on the 28th June for the final part of the challenge.

Across the 3 days, they will be hiking for around 19 hours and pushed to their physical limits to raise the money.

The team have already reached their money goal before even starting the challenge. However, donations are welcome on their page.

“I’ve basically been shameless in my attempts to raise as much money as possible! I’ve been promoting the event both internally at work, and amongst my family and friends. A local business kindly made me a batch of samosas that we sold at a lunchtime in our Birmingham office. They went in minutes! It was a huge success.

“This challenge really speaks to me, not just because of the physical aspect but because it’s something meaningful. The funds being raised provide hope for children who are experiencing homelessness. Railway Children give these kids the chance at having a future.”

Sandi Sidhu