A team of five rail explorers have raised more than £13,000 after successfully traversing the highest mountain in Europe.
Dave Burgess, Chris Lukehurst, Matt Sercombe, John Westwood and the Managing Director of Kelly Integrated Transport Services, John Tuite, reached the summit of Mont Blanc on September 21 to complete the fundraising expedition for the Railway Children charity.
Mont Blanc is the the tallest mountain in the EU at 4,810 metres high.
The £13,600 raised will allow the charity to keep 12 to 14 young people safe in a refuge in the UK over a weekend, run a helpline in the UK for four months and pay the salaries of 12 to 14 outreach workers, who seek out children who may be at risk, for a year in India.
Tuite said: “Many thanks for your sponsorship, encouragement and support during our training and charity challenge.
“The scenery was absolutely breathtaking. We watched the sun rise over the Alps as we neared the summit of Mont Blanc that morning.
“We had a few hairy moments along the way and were challenged daily during training, acclimatising to altitude and particularly the effort required on summit day. We climbed for 12 hours that day in icy winds and temperatures well below freezing.
“Conditions were also very interesting – some very narrow ridges with shear drop offs on either side.
“The support we received really helped motivate the team during the challenge.”
