Climb every mountain – for Bertie

The Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge is a tough 24-mile round trip hiking challenge through some amazing scenery. Only the determined take on the circular walk that aims to summit the peaks of Pen-y-ghent (694m), Whernside (736m), and Ingleborough (723m) in less than 12 hours.

A team from Ambassadeurs Group (AG) are preparing to undertake the challenge on 12^th October to raise money for Ronald McDonald House Charity. They are doing it in support of Phoebe Melly, senior finance business partner at AG, who has been using the charity after the premature birth of her baby boy.

Bertie arrived fifteen weeks premature, and he acquired an infection from pre-term labour. ‘We were immediately transferred to St Thomas’ Hospital in London, because they have a specialist neonatal unit that supports babies who are born under 28 weeks’ gestation,’ explains Phoebe.

One of the first worries her family faced was how they would navigate spending as much time as possible with Bertie when they lived an hour away from the hospital. ‘The journey back and forth would be exhausting, and the travel costs would quickly start to add up. We considered finding accommodation nearby, however this wasn’t a financially viable option given the central London location.’

The answer was a Ronald McDonald House. They are located as close as possible to specialist children’s hospitals across the UK, and there was one that supported families being cared for in the Evalina Unit of St Thomas’ Hospital. The charity aims to ensure families can be by their child’s bedside when they need to be – whilst also maintaining as much of a normal life as possible, and at the same time reducing the emotional and financial strain that comes with an ill child.

For Phoebe, it has been a place of calm and support during a long period of intense stress. ‘The amazing staff continually go above and beyond to make the house feel like a home away from home,’ she says. ‘Bertie still has a few hurdles to face until he is able to come home, but thankfully we are able to stay at the Ronald McDonald House until he is discharged.’

AG have already raised more than £20,000 for the charity and are aiming to raise a total of £39,000 by the end of the Three Peaks Challenge. It costs £35 to accommodate a family for one night at a Ronald McDonald House; the average length of stay at houses is 16 nights. For some families like Phoebe’s the stay is much longer – over 15 weeks. The money raised by AG will fund three rooms in a house for a year.

‘This truly incredible charity provides invaluable support to families going through a difficult time,’ explains Phoebe. ‘Every donation, no matter how big or small, has a real life impact that we have witnessed first-hand. Our mission is to raise as much awareness as possible for this deserving charity so that they can continue to help the families who need it.”

To donate please visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/les-a-three-peaks