Trio aim to reach new heights to raise money for hospice
THREE people are raising money for Les Bourgs Hospice by completing 30 outdoor climbs in 30 days.
Nicky Pledger and Chris Harvey are involved in a new charity, Climb LBG, which launched last year and aims to make climbing more accessible to people who would not ordinarily get the chance to do it.
Together with para-athlete Sophie Veron, they are taking on a personal challenge for the month of July.
‘There are several fundraisers for Les Bourgs where people try to do something every day for a full month, so this was our way of getting involved but with an activity relevant to us,’ Mr Harvey said.
Climb LBG is Guernsey’s only specialist climbing provider and runs programmes on a charitable and commercial basis.
With a full outdoor schedule this summer, committing to 30 climbs in 30 days is one way of ensuring that the directors, who are keen climbers themselves, make time to do some climbing of their own.
They completed their first climb on Saturday at Port Soif.
‘This is a pretty straightforward one to start off with, but they’ll get more exciting and adventurous as the month goes on – the south coast climbs are particularly spectacular,’ Mr Harvey said.
Because of Guernsey’s large tidal range, a lot of the climbs can only be done at certain times, so some days they will have to do several to make sure they can fit 30 in around their work schedules and the tides.
Ms Pledger said the feeling of being frightened does not ever really go, but it was what kept them sharp and concentrated on the climb.
‘Because of where you are, there’s rarely ever anyone around so it’s very peaceful and you can just focus on the rocks,’ she said.
Saturday’s climb at Port Soif was only Miss Veron’s second outdoor climb. She was more excited than nervous.
‘I’m always up for a challenge and I’ve loved learning the ropes from these guys so I’m eager to get stuck in,’ the 29-year-old said.
‘I set myself the challenge of doing 30 new things before I turn 30 and this is one of them.’
As well as the physical benefits of climbing, Mr Harvey, who is a qualified instructor, said there are so many great things that come with it.
‘You have to place a lot of trust in the people you’re climbing with, so really strong friendships are formed that way, and that’s what we [Climb LBG] want to share with other people.’
. Donations can be made via the Climb LBG Facebook page.
