We are hoping to raise as much money as we can for the Royal National Institute for the Blind: Peter, Scott and David all have close relatives that are blind and who have had to suffer the deprivation this condition brings, the onset of which is sometimes quite late in life when mobility is also becoming a problem. Our talisman Nigel from our  Isle of Man office who recently climbed Kilimanjaro was regrettably unable to join us due some some excuse about a hernia operation. Nevertheless. Nigel collected over £2,000 for the Manx Association for the Blind which is affiliated to the RNIB which was a marvellous effort. The fifth member of our team was a non-banker called Steve Trevanion (David's neighbour) who also has a relative with visual impairment. He had the all important device that told us how far we had climbed, which helped moral when we 'hit the wall'.

The remaining member was our one man support team John Ostacchini - we'll gave him the nickname 'Red 10'  from the Red Arrows (he's the one that doesn't actually fly). He drove us through the night while we tried to get some rest and had a brew waiting for us and a bacon sandwich after each decent. John has done the 3 Peaks Challenge twice before: once as a walker and once as a driver, so we were lucky to have his knowledge on the trip. He is not the sympathetic type, but his physio skills came in handy when David screamed like a girl when he had cramp after Scafell Pike!

From our experience, people who are blind are characterised by a cheerful disposition and do not complain about their lot in life. But the loss of visual experience (something we all take for granted) does bring real hardship to their lives. It takes relatively little in the way of funding to make life much more manageable for them, so a relatively small donation to the RNIB via this website can make a real difference to someone's life. If you are a UK tax payer, the charity will also benefit further from the tax credit they will receive in addition. The money we collect might go towards a light/magnifying glass; the facilities to play and listen to a special recording of the week’s news; special glasses; or the placement of a trained Guide Communicator. Whatever you can give, your money will make a palpable difference to someone who is very deserving of your help. Thank you for all your help and support.