In a moment of madness last summer, I agreed to do the 3 Peaks, with a bunch of my great Cisco colleagues...............'Great' I thought,' it'll be fun, great excuse to get fitter,  raise some cash for a great cause, and a little jaunt around Yorkshire'!!!............but no no, it's not a 'little jaunt' at all!!!! ....it's the NATIONAL one!  3 mountains, ( Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike, and Snowden)  in 24 hours.......and one of them in the dark! Walk 36km, climb over 3000m (and come down) and drive over 450 miles in between..........

 I was horrified. WHAT had I let myself in for??!  I came up with many excuses that could be used to try and get out of it............and then thought, NO, go for it, I've never done anything like this before, so might as well give it a go, before I get too old!!!!..............Anyway............here I am, just over a week away, having trained hard, and dragged my poor family and friends up and down every hill I could find , for the last 3 months in an effort to be in shape to actually cope with the climbs. 

We're raising some funds for a local Manchester charity that Cisco has supported for a long time. Reclaim are an amazing bunch of people who support 12 to 15 year old children from inner -city, working class backgrounds , and help them achieve their potential , and give them access to opportunities that ALL young people should have,  regardless of their postcode. Without our support, not only financially, but the time we all give for mentoring and supporting, Reclaim couldn't exist, and the difference they make to the local communities would be lost. That would be a tragedy. So, please, have a dig down the back of the sofa, the bottom of your bags, and coat pockets, and pull together what ever you can spare, and donate. Just imagine me dragging myself up and down these mountains! that should be enough to make you smile, and give a little!

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.