Team Fast Find members during the Three Peaks Challenge
A team of charity fundraisers carried one of its own safety devices during its completion of the national Three Peaks Challenge.
The 14 employees of Portsmouth-based Orolia carried a personal locator beacon made by their own company.
The group carried a McMurdo Fast Find Ranger on their successful ascent of Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon, during which members raised more than £3,000 for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.
Fortunately, the charity walkers did not have to activate the PLB, which sends a distress signal to orbiting Cospas-Sarsat satellites. The group, which dubbed itself Team Fast Find, completed the walk in 28 hours despite what it described as horrendous weather.
The team was made up of workers from two countries.
David Duffin, who led the walk, said: “In the space of six months Team Fast Find transformed from office workers to mountain climbers with many hours being spent at the gym and climbing the South Downs and Purbecks in preparation of tackling Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon over three days.
“With no mobile phone reception on any mountain and enduring horrendous weather conditions during the challenge, we all felt safe in the knowledge that we were fully equipped with Fast Find Rangers, enabling us to alert the search and rescue authorities in the event of an emergency.
“We are all very proud to have successfully completed the Three Peaks Challenge and would like to thank all of our sponsors, support team and families who enabled us to achieve our goal and raise money for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.”
A change of legislation at the beginning of this year allowed the use of PLBs on land in the UK for the first time.
John Chivall
09 July 2012While not wishing to detract from the valuable fundraising that the Oriolia team have done for their local air ambulance, it is regrettable that they chose a 3 peaks event to do so. We in the outdoor community have a responsibility to educate the public about the high negative impact that 3 peaks challenges have. We need to stop presenting it as a desirable thing to do and instead focus on promoting alternative challenge walks that do not involve 1000 miles of driving or overloading rural communities in the middle of the night. HTTP://bit.ly/3peakschallenge is a good look at the arguments.
Incidentally, I have never had a problem getting a mobile phone signal on any of the 3 mountains. It is usually the valleys where phone reception is lost.
Polly Muir
10 July 2012I think John Chivall's comment is appallingly misjudged and unneccessary in the context of this fundraising challenge.
Congratulations to the Orolia team for an outstanding effort and in raising a significant amount of money which will help to save lives.
Llanberis local
12 July 2012Polly, as someone who lives and works in one of the affected communities, I think John's erudite comments are wholly reasonable.
It's time that charities turned their backs on such a harmful event. Who'd want to live in the community of <30 people in Wasdale Head now that the 3 peaks has become so massively popular?
Bill Pattison MBE
24 August 2012Would support John and Llanberis comments entirelyWsadale is fed up off 3Peakers who do nothing to support the local economy foul the environment and cause choas for local people trying to get on with their lives.Enough is enough what about a sponsored beach clean instead ,now that really would be wortwhile .Bill Pattison MBE