Mace fundraisers conquer the peaks and raise £10,000 for dementia research

What started out as an idea in the pub, resulted in a team from Mace’s Leeds office taking on the fierce National Three Peaks Challenge in aid of Alzheimer’s Research UK.

The keen fundraisers had previously tackled the Yorkshire Three Peaks, but over a few drinks, decided they wanted to push themselves with something even tougher.

At the end of last month, the group conquered their latest challenge, which saw them climb the three highest peaks in England, Scotland and Wales. Due to some injuries, all but two of the 13-strong team completed the fundraiser and the team crossed the finish line in 28 hours.

Louise O’Reilly, from Pontefract, was one of 13 who took on the peaks with her colleagues from Mace. The 30-year-old was inspired to raise money for the UK’s leading dementia research charity after seeing the devastation the condition caused her family when her nan was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Thanks to group’s efforts, they raised more than £10,700 for the cause.

This money will be added to the total being raised by Mace for Alzheimer’s Research UK, after the firm partnered with the charity earlier this year. Alzheimer’s Research UK funds pioneering dementia research, with a vision of creating a world free from the fear, harm and heartbreak of dementia.

Louise, a Bidding Assistant at Mace, said:

“Over a few beers one night, we thought it would be a good idea to attempt the National Three Peaks Challenge and it escalated from there. It was an incredible experience. Morale on the day was so important, we all kept each other going. At the end, everyone was so happy – it was an emotional experience. It’s hard to believe we did it.

“What made the day even better was how much we raised. Most of us who took on the challenge had been personally impacted by dementia. My nanna had Alzheimer’s disease and it was really upsetting. I remember towards the end it was just awful to leave her in the care home, she would just cry as she didn’t know what was going on. Before she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s she had been so active and then as the disease progressed, we had to force her to stop driving and give up her independent life style. I’m so glad we’ve been able to do something that will help us to find a cure for this awful disease, so other families don’t experience the same heartbreak.”

Felicity James, Corporate Partnerships Account Officer at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said:

“Thank you so much to the team from Mace who took on and conquered the National Three Peaks Challenge. We’re incredibly grateful to them for taking on this huge task, while also raising such an amazing amount of money for Alzheimer’s Research UK. There are currently 850,000 people in the UK living with dementia and this number is only going to get higher, unless we find a cure. With funding and investment in dementia research, we know we can defeat it, which is why we are so grateful to have companies like Mace showing us their support.”