A team of staff from Ski Independence embarked on a Tri Peak Challenge over the bank holiday weekend, raising over £20,000 for the Sick Kids Friends Foundation, which will assist the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh to buy a CUSA machine for the treatment of tumours.
We’re often asked what the Ski Independence team get up to during the summer months and the usual response would be getting ready for the season ahead but for the past few months, training and bikes have been at the forefront of minds (or at least the couple of weeks/ days before in some cases!). A 25 strong team challenged themselves to cycle between and summit each of Scotland’s three main ski resorts Glenshee, The Lecht and Cairngorm – covering over 10,800 ft of ascent, while cycling and hiking over 100 miles – in just two days.
The weather was awful, with rain, sleet and storm-force winds on Cairngorm on day two – not what you would have expected on a May Bank Holiday weekend, or then again it was Scotland!
Phillipa Swindale for Ski Independence said: “We set the Tri Peak Challenge to raise money for the Sick Kids Friends Foundation. Many of the participants who took part have spent time with their own children at the hospital and value all the good work that they do.
“We covered over 10,800 ft of ascent, conquered 2 Munros, cycled & hiked over 100 miles. It was quite a challenge and for many, it was the first time that they have completed a physical challenge of this nature, it was a true test of endurance and team work.”
“We are absolutely delighted to have already over £20,000 as a result of the challenge and want to pass all our thanks for the kind donations.”
For photos and videos of the event visit http://www.facebook.com/TriPeaks
Will Guest, Corporate & Events Fundraiser for the Sick Kids Friends Foundation, said: “We are grateful to Ski Independence for the hard work they have put in to the Tri-Peak Challenge! It sounds like it was a tough two days, but the team’s camaraderie and effort will be for a really great cause.”
“Our motto is that, ‘You don’t have to be a doctor to make sick kids better!’ It’s true that everyone who raises funds for the hospital plays a part.
“The Sick Kids Friends Foundation helps sick children get better by funding extra medical equipment, improving facilities, financing specialised research and training and providing a wide variety of extra comforts for young patients and their families at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children.
“We’re currently driving a new fundraising initiative to raise a total of £68,000 for new CUSA brain surgery equipment which will be able to remove hard to remove tumours in children. We can’t thank Ski Independence enough for getting onboard with this fundraising drive.”
Lynn Myles, paediatric neurosurgeon for the Edinburgh Royal Hospital for Sick Children, said: “The CUSA equipment comes with has a very small delicate hand piece which makes it easier to use on children’s heads and removes tumours with minimal tissue damage to the surrounding area allowing for quicker surgery, faster healing times and better cosmetic results.
“It uses a highly specialised technology developed to remove brain and spinal chord tumours offering a more complete excision of tumour. This translates into improved survival in most childhood tumours.
“It is fantastic that Ski Independence have chosen to fundraise for the Sick Kids Friends Foundation for this next piece of equipment which will keep the Edinburgh Royal Hospital for Sick children as a state of the art paediatric facility for neurosurgery in the UK.”