Intrepid colleagues return from charity climbing trip

A GROUP of intrepid colleagues from a car dealership who dreamt of taking on a notoriously tough climbing challenge for charity have completed their mission.

Simon Bennett, 36, Simon Poole, 33, Wayne Miller, 33, Ben Stinton, 35, and Alan Finnie, 36, from Citygate Volkswagen, in Victoria Road, South Ruislip, came up with the idea of taking on the Three Peaks Challenge whilst on a work night out.

They committed themselves to climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon - the three highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales - all in under 24 hours.

After months of gruelling training, the five men completed the challenge in 23 hours and 32 minutes on October 10.

Mr Bennett, who is head of marketing at Citygate Volkswagen, said: "We put a lot of effort into training for the day but it was still extremely tough, definitely the most physically demanding thing any of us have ever done.

"Although the physical element of completing the 26 miles was difficult, it was the mental strain we all found to be the toughest part of the challenge. There were a number of points during the day we wanted to throw the towel in, but we gelled extremely well as a team and battled on to the end crossing the finishing line together."

The group have now almost reached their goal of raising £5,000 for BEN, which provides practical, emotional and financial support for current and past employees of the automotive industry.

To make a donation or to view the photos from the challenge visit www.thecitygatechallenge.co.uk