Member Article

Keepmoat duo climb Britain's highest mountain for Macmillan

While much of the country has been basking in glorious sunshine, two intrepid Keepmoat employees battled strong winds, mist, fog and snow to climb more than 4,400 feet to the summit of Britain’s highest mountain.

Keepmoat business development managers, Keith Trowers, 54, and Pernell Vernon, 43, grew beards and wore four layers of clothing, as they tackled -7° temperatures and winds measuring up to 50mph, to reach the top of Ben Nevis in the Scottish Highlands.

The pair took eight hours 20 minutes to ascend and descend the massive mountain as part of a fundraiser for Macmillan Cancer Care.

Keith has lost several family members to cancer including his father James, 82, while 10 years ago, Pernell, lost his mother, Norma, 61, to cancer of the oesophagus.

Between them the duo raised more than £2,500 for Macmillan.

Pernell, from Westonzoyland in Somerset, works in Keepmoat’s Yeovil office covering the South West.

He said: “It was much harder than anything I have ever done in my life.

“Imagine walking up a heavily pebbled beach on a 45 degree angle for three and a half hours.

“The oxygen is so much thinner at that height so everything you do at the top is much harder.

“My legs were just in bits, anything from my thigh down was just in a world of pain.

“It was very emotional at the top. Keith and I had a man hug, a few tears were shed and we shared a hipflask of port.”

The pair tackled the mountain on Saturday, June 29, just two days after spending a draining three days at the huge CIH Housing Conference in Manchester.

Over the last five years Keith, from Hockley in Essex, has taken part in many fundraisers including running 1,038 steps to the top of 30 St Mary Axe (also known as The Gherkin) and abseiling down a church and a block of flats.

Keith, who works in the Keepmoat’s Waltham Abbey office covering London, said: “This is the hardest challenge I have ever done and it came after a demanding few days at the end of the CIH in Manchester.

“It was so hard getting back down, by the time I reached the bottom I was walking like C3-PO and in need of a double hip replacement”

“Macmillan were very helpful to my family, they gave us great advice and were a great support at a particularly difficult time.

“I just wanted to raise some money for a particularly worthy cause and also try and raise some awareness of Macmillan.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Chris Walker .