Conquering Peaks for a Cause: Xaar and Megnajet's Three Peaks Charity Challenge

The Xaar and Megnajet team recently took on the Three Peaks Challenge, conquering Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike, and Snowdon within just 24 hours. Their incredible efforts raised over £2,200 for Break, our charity partner that supports care-experienced young people across the East of England.

Break was chosen as Xaar Group’s charity partner in April 2022, and the collaboration over the last two years has been a key element of our Sustainability Roadmap which defines our commitment to both People and the local Community, as two of our four Sustainability pillars.

Preparation and Planning

Our Charity Champions team had been brainstorming several ideas for group fundraising activities and challenges, when Shaun Bailey suggested the Three Peaks. He already had a lot of hiking experience, but needed a few other volunteers to join him.

Motivated by Break's crucial work in the region, several members from Xaar and Megnajet opted to take part. Adam Eaton, Megnajet's Engineering Manager, said: "Break is a charity that is particularly meaningful to me, as it is such an important cause for young people in our local community."

Alongside Adam and Shaun, the final team of climbers included Sara Marchant, Mick Watson, and John Bleazard. Shaun’s wife, Helen, and Sara’s husband, Dom, were kind enough to volunteer their time as cross-country drivers to help them get around.

Training Sessions

The team undertook several intense training sessions in preparation for the challenge ahead. They began in May, with a 21km walk in the Peak District, covering 876 metres of elevation. It was during this practise climb that Adam encountered a significant challenge - having only taken two litres of water with him, which ran out within just a couple of hours.

He said: “When I ran out of water during our training, this was a lesson for me on the importance of forward planning and making sure you have all of the resources you need to complete this kind of challenge.

“It’s surprising how much water you need for this kind of exercise, and it’s easy to become dehydrated quickly.”

This was followed by a demanding 23km hike of Scafell Pike and Snowdon a few weeks later, reaching a total elevation gain of 1600 meters.

The third and final training session involved a long 35.5km walk in Northampton to improve stamina and give the team an idea of the kind of distance they were soon to be up against.

Several people in the team were new to such intense hiking so committed to regular gym visits (with plenty of use out of the ‘mountain climbers’ exercise machine), emphasising the importance of physical fitness and stamina preparation.

However, whilst fitness played a big part in the preparation for the challenge, Adam stressed how the team had several other considerations in the run up. He explained: “We had to meticulously plan our routes, work out how to correctly pace ourselves and ensure that we were eating the right food that would fuel us and had plenty of water on hand to stay hydrated. We each drank half a litre of water per hour whilst climbing!”

Logistics and Challenges

It wasn’t just the physical preparation that was challenging. Planning the logistics was also a significant part of the hikes. With his experience, Shaun was tasked with arranging a lot of the climbing routes, training and general journey logistics.

A crucial aspect was determining the essentials for the climb. The team had to balance the need for adequate supplies with minimising weight. They carried emergency blankets, first aid kits, food and water – with the aim of limiting their load to no more than 6kg.

Another important logistics consideration for the challenge was the travel. Helen and Dom kindly drove the team from each mountain to the next – driving a total of 1,250 miles each and sitting in the car for most of the 24 hours (driving for 10 hours and waiting for the team for 14 hours in total)!

The Peaks

The challenge began with unforeseen obstacles for some of the climbers. Travelling in a different car to Sara, Mick and John, Adam and Shaun unfortunately encountered heavy traffic en route to Ben Nevis, delaying their start by 2 hours. The rest of the team, already on a tight schedule to avoid too much night hiking, then had to begin the ascent without them.

"When we arrived at Ben Nevis and started our climb, we bumped into the rest of the team on their way down the mountain," Adam recounted.

 “That was a particularly difficult moment and mentally quite challenging - knowing the rest of team were almost finished, but we were only just beginning – which then created extra pressure as it started to turn to dusk.”

Despite starting behind, Adam and Shaun persisted, but this meant that they were forced to descend the 1,345-metre-high Ben Nevis in the dark at a slower pace. This along with a 40-minute traffic delay affected the amount of time for the final mountain of the challenge, resulting in a final dash down Snowdon. With time very much against them, they decided to jog the last mile and a half of the final mountain, arriving at the bottom with just nine minutes to spare!

The entire team successfully completed the Three Peaks Challenge within 24 hours, raising over £2,200. With Xaar Group matching the raised amount, Break will receive an impressive total of over £4,400.

We are incredibly proud of everyone who took part on behalf of the Group. Thank you to all who kindly donated to their unpredictable but amazing Three Peaks adventure.