To mark this year’s Armed Forces Day on Saturday 27 June, a group of participants virtually marched up Ben Nevis to help raise vital funds for military charity, Care for Veterans.
The climbers individually marched the 8,810 steps – the distance to the summit of the iconic Scottish mountain – either at their homes or in local parks, following the rules around social distancing.
Care for Veterans provides residential nursing care and rehabilitation to physically disabled ex-Service personnel and their families. With events cancelled or postponed, the charity has lost a major source of income and still needs to raise £1.9 million this year. Care for Veterans is urgently appealing for people to take part in events such as this so that it can continue to provide its essential service to our nation’s heroes.
Event organiser, Phoebe Tether, explains,
“On behalf of everyone at Care for Veterans, I’d like to thank all those who took part in our march up Ben Nevis and raised a fantastic amount of £2,254. Your help will go a long way in ensuring that the veterans in our care continue to receive the support they need. Obviously, due to the current circumstances we cannot host our usual popular events, so we are in desperate need of support from our community. With many people still stuck at home, this virtual event was a great way for people to stay active, get exercising, whilst also raising some money.”
Participant, Judi Burgess, urges other people to get involved. She said,
“I undertook the virtual march up Ben Nevis and found it to be unlike anything I’ve ever done before. It took a great deal of determination to repeatedly climb my stairs at home alone for a period of roughly 8 hours. I can’t deny that it was very tedious at times, but when I was finding it difficult, I reminded myself of how much good the sponsorship money would do and how many difficult situations the veterans themselves must have been through.
My advice to anyone new to fundraising would be to pick a challenge they find fun and worthwhile. Plan your training for the event, make the most of it and have fun whilst doing it! You might surprise yourself and find you have inner strength.”
To support Care for Veterans, visit their website and see how you can get involved: careforveterans.org.uk
