Hello, My Name is Lewis Speakman. I have Organised a charity event to raise money for the Royal Air Force 100 Appeal. I will be completing this event alongside my colleagues in the Royal Air Force.

Me, Joe Redpath, Nathan Lewis, Tom Carr, Jack Broderick, James White, Austin Temple, Liam Fox, Alex Ferguson, Katie Dennis, Tom Greene will be the climbers who make up GTM67.  

We are all based at No. 4 School of Technical Training at MOD St. Athan. We are all training to be General Technicians (Mechanical) in the RAF and make up most of GTM course no. 67. We share the same belief that it is important to help charities like the RAFBF, RAFA, RAFM & the RAFCT as they receive no government funding and rely solely on the generous donations they receive.

This is why we are pushing ourselves to the extreme and using one of our much needed weekends to climb the three highest mountains in the UK in under 24 hours. It will be tough, but raising money for the RAF 100 appeal is a great privilege for us all.

The reason I have done this is because the RAF100 is a year long celebration of the 100th birthday of the Royal Air Force. It is important to celebrate this because it is important to remember and thank the veterans who fought and died for the sake of our country, and the Air Force. It is also important to thank the people serving today in uncertain times and also to inspire the next generation to ensure the Royal Air Force can last another century. 

The RAF 100 Appeal is a joint charity set up to raise money for the RAF's four main charities who's sole purpose is to support the RAF family and ensure that we can continue to do the work we do for the United Kingdom.

The four charities the RAF 100 Appeal donations will go to are:

 Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund- Founded by Air Marshal Sir Hugh Trenchard in 1919, the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund supports former and serving members of the RAF and their families. The support we provide ranges from financial help to our Airplay youth support programme on RAF stations and welfare breaks for RAF veterans. We are also the proud custodians of the RAF Memorial and the Bomber Command Memorial in London. https://www.rafbf.org

The Royal Air Forces Association- The Royal Air Forces Association is a membership organisation and registered charity that provides welfare support to the RAF Family. The RAF Association is dedicated to supporting serving and former RAF personnel and their families.
Injury, bereavement, illness, loneliness, financial difficulties – if things go wrong, the RAF Association’s huge, international network of warm-hearted, practical and highly trained people flies into action. They can be there on the doorstep, in person, to help sort out the problem and share the load. Many vital RAF welfare services are run by their own employees and volunteers. They’re also good friends with other charities, such as those mentioned on this page, so they know where to get the very best support for each individual. https://www.rafa.org.uk

Royal Air Force Museum- The Royal Air Force Museum occupies two public sites at Colindale in north London and Cosford in Shropshire, West Midlands. Its purpose is to tell the story of the Royal Air Force through its people and collections and its ambition is to ensure that the Royal Air Force's story endures and enriches future generations. https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk

The Royal Air Force Charitable Trust- The Royal Air Force Charitable Trust is the youngest of the Royal Air Force charities having formed in 2005. Its main source of income comes from its trading company, the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust Enterprises, who organise the Royal International Air Tattoo each year at RAF Fairford. Its aims are to support the Royal Air Force to enhance the environment of serving personnel and their families; and a commitment to young people, to initiate and develop within them an enthusiasm for aviation and consequently generate a desire in them to join the RAF. https://www.airtattoo.com/the-trust

More information can be found here: http://raf100appeal.org/charities/

Now that you can see who your money is going towards and why I'm sure you can understand why we have decided to raise money for the RAF 100 appeal.

Thank you very much for reading and thank you very much for your donations!

I would also like to thanks 1730 Lochaber Air Cadet Squadron in fort William for letting us stay overnight in their halls! We couldn’t have do e this without that help.