On 9 September, teams drawn from across the rail industry will set out to conquer Britain’s three highest summits in just two days, marking the return of the Three Peaks Challenge by Rail. The teams are raising funds for industry charity Railway Children and will be ferried between Snowdon, Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis by special train.
The return of the event, which first took place in 2004, represents a huge effort by the entire rail industry to generate much needed funds in support of Railway Children’s work. Over the past 18 months the Covid pandemic has adversely affected the charity which has been forced to cancel many fundraising events. The resulting funding shortfall could lead to catastrophic outcomes for the vulnerable children the charity supports both at home and abroad.
Porterbrook will continue to act as headline sponsor, a role it’s held since 2019. “I am delighted that the Three Peaks Challenge by Rail has returned,” said Mary Grant, CEO at Porterbrook. “This is a fabulous opportunity for the railway family to come together and raise much-needed funds for industry charity Railway Children. This demanding event will help them continue their important work supporting vulnerable young people both at home and abroad.”
This year, the event is also supported by VolkerRail, which will cover the cost of the food and refreshments required by the 168 participants over the two-day event.
Andrew Wilkins, VolkerRail finance director, said: “VolkerRail is proud to continue its support for this great charity; doing incredible work – worldwide. We believe that it is vital to continue to raise awareness of the situation of vulnerable children, and the importance of reaching them as quickly as possible. As well as sponsorship, we also have a team taking part in the event, to help raise even more funds.”
Terina Keene, Railway Children’s CEO, thanked the industry for coming together to support the event. “We have had so much support from our rail family over the years and this collaboration is just another example of the industry pulling together to make amazing things happen. We can’t thank both companies enough.”
More information on the event can be found here.
