The BUSY Group, who deliver a range of supporting programs to empower individuals in their career paths, is often described as an organisation that goes the extra mile in making a difference to people’s lives.
In Sarah Rees’s case, a valued employee and Mental Health Coach with Case UK (part of The BUSY Group), we can measure that distance exactly – 11,000 feet of height, 36 kilometres of mountain hiking and 13 hours of walking to scale the highest peaks in Scotland, England and Wales. This was all within a 24-hour period that included two minibus journeys transporting Sarah and an intrepid bunch of fellow hikers from Fort William down to the Lake District and then on into Wales.
It’s not like Sarah isn’t a dedicated athlete who trains daily for this kind of event. Instead, she’s someone who, in her own humble words, is ‘up for an occasional challenge’. Over the years this has included a triathlon in the Philippines and a 24-hour 100k Oxfam Trail Walker Challenge in Hong Kong.
The motivation for the Three Peaks challenge came from Sarah’s daughter, Tirion, who wanted to undertake the event together, as a mother and daughter bonding experience. Their goal was to raise funds for a charity they had a family connection with, Maggie’s Centre, a charity that provides free practical social and emotional support for people with cancer and their families.
For a non-athlete like Sarah, the challenge was a formidable one. An 8am start on the first morning at Fort William meant four and a half hours of hiking to scale Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest mountain, before a drive to Cumbria in order to begin the ascent of Scafell Pike, England’s tallest peak, at 9.30pm with daylight fading. Four hours later, and in the dead of night, the team were back in the bus and heading to Wales. By 7.30am the group had arrived at the foot of Yr Wyddfa (also known by its English name, Mount Snowden) for the last leg which meant another 13 kilometres and a further three and a half thousand feet of ascent with eyes on the clock to ensure the 24-hour target was beaten.
On reflection, Sarah found the toughest part of the challenge was at the beginning rather than the end. Seeing the early, faster pace being set by some of the other participants leading the hike, she admits to some initial negative self-talk. Was this a mistake? Was she really up for this? But as she settled into a rhythm of her own over those 11,000 feet of climbing and 13 hours of gruelling mountain trekking, Sarah’s confidence grew and so did the highlights that she would take away and treasure – the line of head torches ascending Scafell as darkness fell; the mentoring and companionship of more experienced fellow hikers that steered her through the difficult sections and past the self-doubt; the feeling of elation standing on top of the final mountain looking out across the Snowdonia range.
Reflecting back on the experience, it feels to Sarah like there are parallels she can draw between her 24-hour challenge in the mountains and the work she undertakes daily with her clients. All of the people Sarah supports through the Able Futures programme, face mental health challenges at work that, on initial referral, might have seemed daunting and even insurmountable. Patient and non-judgemental support from people like Sarah helps them move forward at a pace that’s right for them, enabling them to achieve the goals they’ve set and to become the best version of themselves.
Sarah’s determination to complete the Three Peaks challenge offers a reminder that, when given the right guidance and support, individuals are capable of overcoming the most formidable of challenges. The BUSY Group is proud to employ many people like Sarah who inspire and go the extra mile to help the individuals we support.
Sarah Rees, a valued employee and Mental Health Coach with Case UK (part of The BUSY Group), recently completed the Three Peaks challenge which involves 11,000 feet of height, 36 kilometres of mountain hiking and 13 hours of walking to scale the highest peaks in Scotland, England and Wales.