Graeme Watt
CEO
Almost two years ago the Softcat Senior Leadership team decided to do something together – take on a challenge where we could spend a bit of time together outside of our normal work environment and raise some money for a good cause. As pandemic restrictions are lifting we are now able to do the 3 Peaks challenge. A challenge in which we aim to climb the highest peaks in Scotland, England and Wales within 24 hours without hurting ourselves or permanently damaging any friendships. It won’t be easy as it is something none of is have done before and whilst our fitness levels appear to be more than adequate it is the prospect of any injuries or inclement weather that could make the challenge even tougher than it is already. If we are lucky and the weather is set fair you can expect a number of photographs of us throughout the challenge as we scale the peaks of Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon. I do a reasonable amount of cycling but am reliably informed that mountain climbing fitness is different and different muscles come into play. Given that there are not many hills in South West London ( no Lavender Hill and Battersea Rise don’t count ) I have been on missions to the North and South Downs to get some walking and climbing in. I have to say my eyes have been opened – Butser Hill on the South Downs and Box Hill in the North Downs are very extremely pretty parts of the country. More walking for me in the future !
We are delighted to be raising money for our chosen charity MIND. We aim to raise £24,000 (£1,000 per hour of the challenge ) and I think everyone would agree that this is an incredibly deserving charity and no more so when supporting those who have found the pandemic restrictions particularly tough. MIND is one of two lead charities that we support at Softcat a personal favourite of mine too. Now that there is a much greater appetite to open up about mental health challenges I feel MIND are perfectly positioned to provide the level of awareness and support that literally thousands of people want and need. We have 10 people in our team and we have three weeks to complete our preparations. Wish us luck and we will provide further updates along the way…..