13 participants from the Conservatory Outlet Network have successfully completed the 24 Peak Challenge, raising over £13,000 for charity in doing so.
The 24 Peak Challenge is a gruelling endurance event that tests entrants’ physical and mental endurance. From the start point in Keswick, participants had to scale 24 of the Lake District’s highest and most difficult peaks in just 24 hours.
The group completed the challenge in 22 hours, two hours under the target time.
By the time the team made it to the finish line in Dockray after scaling the likes of Hellvelyn, Great Gable and Great Dodd, the group had walked over 35 miles and tackled over 4,000 metres of elevation across the route.
And then there was the weather, which can only be described as ‘typically British’.
Despite many of the country enjoying sunshine, clear blue skies and temperatures in the high teens, the Lake District was buffeted with 50mph winds, rain and hail. It was only towards the end of the second leg of the challenge that the clouds cleared, temperatures picked up and the sun appeared.
That break in the clouds gave the team a second wind. Able to marvel at the views across the Lake District and see several RAF training flights pass close by, the group on to marched on and made great time whilst covering the final half of the challenge.
“We wanted to build on our success last year in completing the National Three Peaks. This year, we wanted to do something bigger and so the 24 Peak Challenge was born,” Greg Kane, CEO of Conservatory Outlet explains.
“This pushed us further than we’ve gone before, forcing us to walk greater distances and tackle some of the most difficult hiking routes in the country. I’m incredibly proud of every member of the team. We completed this challenge together and we had to dig deep and work hard to make it to the finish line as a group.
“I always say that the Network is something special and this showcases what a talented and resourceful collective we are. I’m incredibly proud of everyone involved.
“Most importantly, we’ve raised a phenomenal sum of money for charity. On behalf of the team and the entire Conservatory Outlet Network, I’d like to thank all our friends, family, customers and commercial partners for supporting both ourselves and our chosen charity for 2024, Mind.”
Mind is a leading mental health charity operating in England and Wales. For over 70 years, Mind has been leading the way in ensuring that everyone experiencing mental health problems can get the support they need
Matt Grafton, Managing Director of West Yorkshire Windows, adds: “To have been involved in this year’s Network charity challenge has been one of the toughest yet most rewarding things I’ve done.
“Since joining West Yorkshire Windows and by extension the Conservatory Outlet Network several years ago, I’m constantly blown away by the unity of the group. One of the best things about being associated with Conservatory Outlet and other Premium Retailers is that we faces challenges together and we overcome them together; whether that’s in business or through this fantastic fundraising adventure.”