2011 6 Peaks Challenge

One of the toughest charity challenges raises over £65,000 for WaterAid

The twelfth WaterAid 6 Peaks Challenge was another great success, raising over £65,000 for WaterAid. Walkers scaled the summits of the six highest peaks of the six regions of the British Isles– the Isle of Man, Wales, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, with 50 miles to walk and 20,000 feet to ascend, in just 72 hours!

Jackie Sedgwick, WaterAid's Water Industry Partnership Manager for the North of England, said: "All the walkers had been training hard for this year's challenge. We had a total of 40 walkers who each put their determination and endurance in to practice on the mountains as well as 16 volunteers who provide support throughout the event."

"The 2010 Challenge was a really good year, enabling us to secure sponsorship for the 2011 and 2012 challenges from Barclays Capital. This year has been just as successful.”

Consultancy company Azzurri Communications submitted three teams for this year's challenge after the success of winning the 'Fastest Team' trophy in 2010 and were determined to hold on to the trophy for another year, but were piped at the post by a team from AMT-SYBEX, who scaled all 6 Peaks in just 20 hours 38 minutes.

Last year's fastest team, Azzurri Communications team leader said: "It was a massive challenge, totally exhausting but also really rewarding. The experience has given us such a sense of satisfaction that our efforts will help others to have better lives. We would really urge other people to take part."

This year also saw teams from Veolia Water East, Energy Assets, AstraZeneca and Barclays Capital. Alyson Tracey leader of the 2010 Barclays Capital all-girl team "Bluebirds" said "There’s a fun and amicable rivalry between the teams when they get on the mountains – 6 Peaks was a really tough but incredibly rewarding experience which will stay with me forever. I wish all the teams good luck for this year’s challenge."

Participants carried 'Yellow Brick Trackers' on this year's challenge, which reported the progress of each team and displayed it on a map enabling friends and family to watch the teams' progress over the weekend.

Corporate sponsorship

Barclays Capital has agreed to act as corporate sponsors of WaterAid's 6 Peaks Challenge for the next two years, ensuring continued financial success of the unique event.

About WaterAid

WaterAid’s vision is of a world where everyone has access to safe water and sanitation. Our mission is to transform lives by improving access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation in the world’s poorest communities. We work with partners and influence decision-makers to maximise our impact. www.wateraid.org

• At least 4,000 children die every day as a result of diseases caused by unclean water and poor sanitation.
• 884 million people in the world do not have access to safe water. This is roughly one in eight of the world's population.
• 2.6 billion people in the world do not have access to adequate sanitation, this is almost two fifths of the world's population.
• Just £15 can enable one person to access safe water, improved hygiene and sanitation.