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PKD is incredibly close to one of our staff members and it is believed between 1 in 400 and 1 in 1000 people worldwide, representing approximately 12.5m of the global population have ADPKD, yet as a disease, there is barely any recognition for it, and limited support which is why we have elected to support PKDCharity.org through the year.

For some time, Hawden MEP have been looking at ways to increase their support of charities and have decided initially, that we will nominate a new charity each year to fundraise for. We are therefore delighted to announce that for 2021, our chosen charity is PKDCharity.org (https://pkdcharity.org.uk/), who themselves celebrated their 20th anniversary last year.

To achieve this, some of our staff members will be undertaking a gruelling 24 hours in early September to complete the 3 Peaks Challenge. This involves an early start on Day 1 to ascend Ben Nevis in Scotland, followed by a drive into England for the ascent of Scafell Pike during the afternoon. Once Scafell Pike has been conquered, a shorter drive into north Wales to tackle Snowdon, at this point during the hours of darkness (head torches a must!), before a final descent and well earned brekkie in Llanberis early morning on Day 2. The complete challenge, including the ascent and descent of all 3 peaks, plus the travel is targeted to be completed within a single 24 hour window. We are all under no illusions this will be both a physical and mentally tough challenge, and preparatory training has begun in earnest!

The total trekking time is expected to be 15-18 hours, covering some 22 miles,  and scaling a combined total of some 9500 ft, with a further 6-9 hours allocated for transfer between the peaks.

We understand the Covid-19 pandemic has caused many people to review their financial outgoings, but charities have suffered immensely over this period, and are desperate for funds to enable them to continue their important work. We would ask you to please give generously to support us on this journey and support this amazing charity.