Three colleagues from Lichfield-based financial services company, Forces Mutual, will take on the Haute Route on 7 September – a mountainous trail between Europe’s two most iconic mountains – Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn, raising money for Scotty’s Little Soldiers.
David Crisp (38), Andrew Blackmore (52) and David Vallery (51) will be trekking a trail which passes by 11 of the highest peaks in the Alps and negotiates more than 12,000m of altitude gain and loss.
Raising money for Scotty’s Little Soldiers’ for the second year running, this year’s challenge is the opposite climate to last year’s climb, in which two of the three (David Crisp and Andrew Blackmore) took on the hot conditions of the ‘Grande Randonee 20’, trekking 180km across themountainous Mediterranean island Corsica.
Forces Mutual has continued to support Scotty’s Little Soldiers through a range of activities over the past two years, and this year’s trek is the latest fundraising endeavour from the company’s staff.
Founded by war widow Nikki Scott in 2010, Scotty’s Little Soldiers supports children across the UK who have lost a parent while serving in the British Armed Forces. The charity was set up in memory of Nikki’s husband and father to her two children, Corporal Lee Scott, after he was killed in Afghanistan in 2009.
Forces Mutual is a company committed to offering a competitive range of insurance, money and health products to meet the needs of the Armed Forces. Scotty’s Little Soldiers is a cause which is therefore close to the business’ heart.
Discussing this year’s challenge, David commented:
“We’re taking on a different climate to last year and again we’re testing ourselves with the trek. David Vallery joins us and we’re back raising money for the amazing Scotty Little Soldiers. We’ve been training for the past few months and feel prepared for 7 September.”
He continued:
“We have many friends and colleagues who are ex-forces, so us being able to raise money for Scotty’s Little Soldiers whilst doing something that we enjoy again is perfect. This year we will not be taking camping gear, so it adds another level of pressure for us.
Charity founder, Nikki Scott said:
“It’s fantastic to see Forces Mutual raising money once again with another epic trek. Scotty’s Little Soldiers is very grateful to David, David and Andrew for their effort and wish them the best of luck this year. We know they’re passionate about climbing and we’re thankful to the business for its continued support of our charity.”
To show your support to Forces Mutual visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/hauteroute2019
And to learn more about Scotty’s Little Soldiers visit: http://scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk/
Notes to editors
To speak to a member of the Scotty’s Little Soldiers team, please contact Scotty’s national PR agency: Claire Lomax (claire@wolfstarconsultancy.com), Chris Grayson (chrisg@wolfstarconsultancy.com) 0113 273 7816.
About Scotty’s Little Soldiers
Scotty’s Little Soldiers, founded in 2010, honours Corporal Lee Scott’s memory – both as a loyal soldier and a loving father – and provides a practical yet personal way for the public at large to show their appreciation for those brave individuals who make the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country. Currently Scotty’s Little Soldiers supports 372 bereaved children and runs a variety of programmes to help children smile again and look forward to a brighter future. You can visit the charity online at http://www.scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk/
