On 11th May the Arkle Finance team will be climbing Arkle Mountain in the far North-West of Scotland in aid of Alzheimer’s Research UK.
It is a long-held ambition of Arkle’s Managing Director, Daniel Bailey, to climb Arkle’s name-sake. Dan explains that Arkle Finance was named after the famous racehorse that achieved notable Cheltenham Gold Cup success – a nod to Arkle’s racing heritage as part of the Weatherby’s Banking Group. It was the racehorse that was named after the mountain.
“We have spoken about doing this challenge for a long time, and it is great to see it finally come to fruition. Arkle was a widely known and revered horse, known for staying the course and consistently delivering. Some of that stamina will serve us well on this hike.” explained Dan.
Arkle itself is 787m high and the challenge will involve an 11-mile walk and climb. Given the location, Arkle is a lesser explored mountain without clearly defined paths and is noted for the wind and rain blowing in off the Atlantic. Given the remoteness of the mountain, one of the biggest challenges ahead of the event is the logistics. The team will base themselves in Inverness and travel up on the morning of the event, taking all the equipment and logistical support that they need to complete the challenge.
So far, 13 of the Arkle team have signed up to the event with representation from all areas of the business, making it a truly business-wide event. The team itself have been training hard for the event, with several preparation events and exploration of the Peak District.
Nathan Smith, Chief Operating Officer, explained that the challenge's aim is worthy: “We are aiming to raise money for Alzheimer’s Research UK. This is one of our nominated charity partners and is an organisation that touches the hearts of many people in the business. When we were arranging the challenge, it was important that we gave something back and Alzheimer’s Research UK was a fitting partner for this.”
If you would like to support the Arkle team on their challenge and Alzheimer’s Research UK, then please donate at the following Just Giving page: www.justgiving.com/team/arkleclimbingarkle, where 100% of the donations will go straight to the charity.
