Snowdon Challenge 2014

Thursday 9 October 2014

My Snowdon experience

On Saturday 20th September 2014, the day I’d been waiting for months finally arrived. I was a bit apprehensive as my preparations had not gone quite to plan. 

I’d joined the Ramblers in April, and had been on quite a few walks with them on different terrain and weather conditions. However, my training stopped during the heatwave, and I wasn’t able to get back on track, so I was worried that I wasn’t as fit as I had been earlier in the year.

My son David and I met the other climbers at East Croydon station, and were picked up by Rob of Advocate Events and set off for Snowdon. We actually started the climb later than we had planned: an accident on the M40 had set us back by an hour.

From the very start, I found it quite hard going. The start of the climb was quite steep; I was glad I brought my walking pole with me. At times we had to climb with our hands and feet! 

I was actually the least fit of all the climbers, and slowed the group down. Gary was very gracious, and kept me company for most of the climb as the others were ahead of me. I was always very happy when we got to level plains, and tried to catch up with the rest of the group.

I was very proud of my son David; he is autistic, and has communication and behavioural issues, but he coped brilliantly. He was at the head of the climb, side by side with our guide, Terry. He didn’t complain once, not even when he stumbled and hurt his hand, and for someone who doesn’t like the unfamiliar, he coped really well with meeting new people! 

I’m really proud of his achievements.

The weather was cold, but I didn’t feel it. Gary had to insist that I wear my jacket as he was concerned that I might fall ill.

We took our celebratory pictures, and started making our way down. The climb down wasn’t as easy as I expected! There were some places that were quite steep and slippery, and Terry had to support us individually to make sure there were no accidents.

Coming down I was more able to appreciate the view; it was amazing, absolutely breath taking. We saw some interesting places; the site where they filmed Goldeneye (James Bond), and other places of historic interest.

When we got to the bottom, we had mixed feelings; happy to have finished, as we were quite tired, but sad it was over. We were driven to our hotel, and after a quick shower, met up for dinner. Gary very kindly treated the deafPLUS climbers to a lovely meal.

It was a great experience, and I’m glad I’ve ticked off something on my bucket list. I might even do it again in a few years, as long as I’ve built my fitness levels up. Even David has indicated that he would like to do it again (after a week of saying “No more mountain climbing”!)

I’ve done this to raise funds for deafPLUS, a charity that does amazing things to support deaf, DeafBlind and Visually Impaired people. My JustGiving page is still open until December, so please stop by and give anything you can to support the work that deafPLUS do.

https://www.justgiving.com/Tayo-Igbintade/

Tayo Igbintade



Monday 6 October 2014.

deafPLUS caught up with Gary and Tayo after their monumental Snowdon Challenge on 20 September, to hear their thoughts.

Q: Well done on your Snowdon Challenge, both of you! How does it feel about climbing the highest point in Wales?

A: It was fantastic. It was amazing. We went up with a group of climbers from Advocate Events. They were wonderful people. We started the climb at 7.30am and we climbed and climbed until we reached the summit.

Q: What did you do when you reached the top?

A: We celebrated. We danced and waved when we reached the top. We had a team photo.

Q: What was the hardest thing about the climb?

A: Well, the weather was good to us. We found the climb hard work, but it is the descent which is the tricky bit. When you think that we climbed 1085 metres or 3561 feet, which is a lot of climbing...on slippery and rickety ground, we had to concentrate hard and go at one step at a time. Despite that, this was brilliant. I heartily recommend that people sign up for a challenge with Advocate Events.

Q. Apart from the climb, you raised £3000 for deafPLUS!

A. Of course--this is probably the fun bit of the climb. It is always fulfilling to raise money for a charity, as Tayo and I have done. deafPLUS is an excellent non-profit organisation which is committed to delivering a much-needed employment advisory service for deaf people in London, and therefore deserving of some much needed funds.

Q: Brilliant stuff, guys. Thank you very much for this!



Saturday 20 September 2014

Advocate Events is the excellent fundraising event organisation who co-ordinated our Snowdon Challenge (and also deafPLUS's Mount Kinabalu Challenge in Borneo).

We are very grateful that they put on a really good day for Tayo and myself on our Snowdon Challenge. We trekked in a group of eight people.

This is what you get when you sign up for one of Advocate Events' fundraising challenges:

• Return from a pre agreed location to Snowdon

• Minibus / SUV / MPV style vehicle and driver

• Minimum 8 people for your own exclusive group

• Accommodation for 1 night at a quality hotel

• Public and employers liability insurance

• Mountain Leader / First Aider

• Support Team

• Event Management Team 

• A Safety Briefing 

• Fundraising, Training and Kit guides

• Breakfast the morning after the challenge

Tayo and I really enjoyed our climb. The weather was very good that day. It was great fun and we climbed with a great bunch of people. Here are our photographs:

Thursday 18 September 2014

Two days before the Snowdon trip on 20 September, we conducted this interview with our CEO, Gary and staff member Tayo about their forthcoming trip.

1. It's only two days before your Snowdon trip: how are you feeling?

Gary: I am looking forward to it. I have been doing a lot of exercise to make sure I am fit enough to tackle Snowdon. The task will be amazing, and well worth it because it is done for a good cause.

Tayo: Really excited. Like Gary, I am looking forward to this. I have had a lot of support from friends and family. It will be brilliant and I like charity events like these. I find them very rewarding.

2. How have you prepared for the Snowdon trek?

Gary: Gym--I have been using their stairmaster and their walking machine to strengthen my legs. The climb will be hard on the knees, so I am hoping I will be fit. Lots of walking and exercise.

Tayo: Jogging and using the local gym facilities in my local park...walking up high escalators in the London Underground. I normally just stand at the rail. Like Gary, I am hoping to strengthen my legs. I have also bought a new pair of hiking boots.

3. What are you most looking forward to?

Gary: Waving the flag for deafPLUS. We might have some Kendal Mint Cake to celebrate!

Tayo: Absolutely waving the flag for deafPLUS. We'll be taking selfies, that's for sure. The Kendal Mint Cake will have to wait!

4. Are you worried about any aspect of the challenge?

Gary: Fatigue and injuries. We will be climbing up slowly and climbing down even more carefully because sometimes you can slip and fall for no reason. Having said that, we are climbing in a group, so it should be quite safe.

Tayo: The weather: I am hoping the weather will be good--I am sure it will be. We are both looking forward to the climb. Like Gary said, it's for a good cause.