Land Rover Raises £17k For British Red Cross In Annual 3 Peaks Challenge

3 August 2009

Six teams of adventurers from Land Rover have taken part in the gruelling 3 Peaks Challenge raising £17,500 for the company’s UK official humanitarian charity partner, the British Red Cross.

Land Rover supported 54 employees as they conquered the three highest peaks in Scotland, England and Wales, by providing two Land Rovers per team and central organisation.

Sir Nicholas Young, chief executive of the British Red Cross, said: "Land Rover's employees have much to be proud of. I would like to thank them all for their wholehearted support and commitment to the 3 Peaks Challenge which has been a fantastic fundraising initiative raising over £17,000 for the British Red Cross."

The 24 hour, 3 Peaks Challenge, started on Saturday 25th July with the highest, Ben Nevis (4406ft), in Scotland. The teams then drove their Land Rovers, rotating the driving to get some well earned food and rest, to Scafell Pike (3206ft), England's highest peak. The adventurers then travelled on to Wales to complete the ascent and descent of Mt. Snowdon (3560ft) in good time.

A mixture of intrepid and physically fit participants from the Gaydon, Whitley, Solihull and Halewood sites made up the six teams: Fantastic Five, Five Alive, Oblivion Runners, The Green Team, Walking Wounded and Team Ley.

Fundraising for the challenge has taken a variety of forms, from a carwash day to sponsorships based on carrying the departmental clock to the top of each peak. Each team was tasked with raising £2,750. Out of the 18 teams taking part from a range of organisations, Land Rover teams took second and third place. 'Oblivion Runners' came in second with a total time of 21 hours and 31 minutes and 'Fantastic Five' came third with a total time of 22 hours.

Simon Andrews from 'Oblivion Runners' said: "The opportunity to take on the 3 Peaks as well as raising £2,000 for the British Red Cross was not one to pass up. We had a great time taking part and despite being narrowly beaten to first place, we're proud of our efforts over this very gruelling challenge".

Funds raised by Land Rover employees who took part in the 3 Peaks Challenge will help the British Red Cross reach vulnerable people in local communities here in the UK and across the world, helping them prepare for, withstand, and quickly recover from crisis.

Last year Land Rover gave over £2.5 million to support International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) priority programmes around the world through a variety of means: fundraising, vehicle donations, gifts in kind and donations and many others.

For further information please contact: Heron Holloway on 0207 877 7520 or hholloway@redcross.org.uk