Last year our generous donors helped us raise over £25,000 for two notable causes, this year we are returning to the Swiss Alps with a more ambitious objective - to summit the Weisshorn and support in equal proportion The UK Children's Brain Trust, The National Trust and The Sierra Club. Our objective is to help organisations with strong track-records in providing medical assistance to UK children in need, protecting the environment and preserving landmarks of historical importance.

Many consider the Weisshorn to be the greatest and most beautiful mountain in Europe. Standing at 4505 meters, she towers over the Zermatt. The Weisshorn is not as popular as the Matterhorn but she is higher in altitude, harder in technical difficulty and takes longer to summit. Three imposing faces and three extremely long ridges join to form a white pyramid. It is essential to be in strong physical shape in order to reach the summit, as the total ascent from the valley is over 3000 metres. There are no mechanical lifts to make the approach easier, every metre has to be climbed and descended by foot or by rope. On the summit day, the vertical ascent from the high altitude hut to the top is nearly 1600 meters, making it one of the biggest in the Alps. We will attempt our ascent via the East Ridge, which is tricky due to the length and hundreds of metre exposure on both sides.

The summit team will consist of Gregory Perdon, Arbuthnot' Co-Chief Investment Officer and Christophe Bressand, a well-known guide from Chamonix.