On Sunday 24th June 2023 a team of TelXL staff members moved away from their computers, out of their comfort zone, and took on the National Three Peaks Challenge – all in aid of charity.
The team of seven comprising of Aaron Fox, Craig Mellon, Marek Kubis, Matt Grove, Mohana Ramesh, Ravi Raju, and Bradley Pritchard with support crew James Evans, and Philippa Boys, have currently raised over £1500 for Kidney Research UK and Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham with donations still to come in.
The TelXL team in Fort William before starting their National Three Peaks Challenge
The team embarked on the 23 miles walk and 3064 metre accent on Sunday at 14:00. They started off their climb at Ben Nevis (Scotland), then went onto Scafell Pike (England) to finish at Snowdon (Wales) – traveling a total distance between the mountains of 462 miles.
Aaron Fox, CEO and 3 peaks hiker said: “What an experience, and for charities close to all our hearts. Everyone on the team including our support crew, did themselves proud. It wasn’t easy especially when we started off in torrential rain.
“Originally it started off as a couple of employees wanting to take on a challenge, but as soon as word got out around the business, more staff wanted to join, and it gathered momentum to become a much wider business event. The support from the wider team has been amazing.
“TelXL prides itself on its employees and we will always encourage, and support, every member of staff in taking on personal challenges, whether as a team or individually especially when it’s for good causes. The commitment I saw during the 3-peaks is inspiring. Everyone’s journey was different but we all got something out of it.”
Between completing each mountain hike the team was transported to their next destination by two support drivers – James Evans, Director of Finance, and Philippa Boys, Technical Writer. In total they drove 1035 miles in 21 hours to ensure that the hiking team was able to rest between each hike.
Since completing the challenge on Monday, TelXL has held further fundraising lunches for both charities. The donations will be collated and presented to the charities in the coming weeks.
Quotes from the team
“Ben Nevis felt never-ending. Snowdon (via Miners track) is where I finally felt like I was in the mountains.” Marek Kubis, Senior Developer, TelXL
“Ben Nevis: ‘You were a beast I thought I could tame, how wrong I was!’” Ravi Raju, Senior Developer, TelXL
“It was an amazing experience for a fantastic cause. I am now seeing rocks in my sleep!” Matt Grove, Senior Developer, TelXL
“As part of the support crew team we had a different challenge which I really enjoyed. We drove in total 1035 miles in 21 hours, with two people driving through the night on three hours sleep.” James Evans, Director of Finance, TelXL