Fozia Noreen and Simon Whitby climb Ben Nevis for Help the Hospices

Fozia Noreen and Simon Whitby successfully climbed the UK’s highest mountain to raise over £80,000 for Help the Hospices

Fozia Noreen, 27, from Rochdale and Simon Whitby, 24, also from Rochdale, were amongst 89 employees from Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks who successfully climbed Ben Nevis, the UK’s highest mountain, to raise over £80,000 for Help the Hospices.

During the eight hour expedition, Fozia and Simon tackled rough terrain, steep climbs and snowy ground before finally crossing the boulder field to the summit cairn, reaching the highest point on the British Isles, at 1,343m above sea level.

Fozia said: “It was a challenging but fantastic and very rewarding experience to climb Ben Nevis alongside my colleagues in aid of Help the Hospices. The bank is supporting us by match funding every penny raised which was a great motivation along the way.”

Jacqui Atkinson, Community Support Manager at Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks, said: “We are very proud of our employees for completing the challenge and raising funds to support the valuable work of Help the Hospices.”

David Praill, Chief Executive of Help the Hospices, said: “As a keen hillwalker, I was delighted to have the opportunity to take part in such a fun, yet physically challenging event. It was a fantastic experience and the team from Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks showed amazing commitment to supporting Help the Hospices while trekking the Ben. Every step, along the sometimes treacherous terrain, has taken us closer to our fundraising target, helping support our member hospices to provide the best possible care for people approaching the end of life.”