Workers reach dizzy heights for charity

Aug 29 2012 by Jeff Holmes, Paisley Daily Express

Caring work colleagues conquered Britains highest mountain for charity ... only to find they didnt have a view when they reached the summit.

Big-hearted workers from the Hewlett Packard Erskine campus scaled Ben Nevis to raise thousands of pounds for young cancer sufferers in Scotland.

But it was so misty at the peak of the 4,409 feet mountain, that the successful climbers couldnt even soak up the majestic views.

Jamie Knox, part of the Ben Nevis team, said: The climb was really hard work and it rained almost the whole way.

It was so cloudy at the top that there wasnt even a view!

But it was all worth it as we raised such an incredible amount of money.

Some 35 workers took on Ben Nevis and have so far raised a staggering £8,000 for the Teenage Cancer Trust, the only UK charity dedicated to improving the quality of life and chances of survival for young people with cancer aged between 13 and 24.

The team is now hoping that their impressive cash haul can be pushed up even further, to nearer £10,000, once all pledges have been collected.

HPs Erskine campus adopted Teenage Cancer Trust as its official charity partner in January of this year, and is aiming to raise £40,000 in just two years.

The Ben Nevis climb was the most successful charity activity the site has ever taken on, with the highest number of participants and the most amount of money raised.

Teenage Cancer Trust builds specialist units within NHS hospitals, bringing young people together to be treated by teenage cancer experts in a place designed just for them.

All money raised by the HP centre in Erskine will go towards helping young people in Scotland fight cancer.

Siobhan OHara, Teenage Cancer Trust fundraiser in the West of Scotland, said: I went along with the team and Im incredibly proud of what they achieved.

It was a long, hard slog but everyone took on the rain and the challenge in great spirits! I was delighted to be a part of it all.

The next big events coming up on the HP Erskine campus charity calendar are the Great Scottish Run on Sunday, September 2, and various skydives by individual staff members.

With these upcoming events, they aim to take their fundraising to £25,000 for the year.

To find out more about Teenage Cancer Trust visit www.teenagecancertrust.org