A team of four from Affinity Water will be taking on the Munro Challenge 2024, which will see them tackle one of the highest peaks in Scotland in support of WaterAid. Hanna Grimsdale , Brandon Mayuga , Phoebe Plumb and Chloe Bench, will be setting off on 8 June to climb Ben Lawers, the highest mountain in the Breadalbane region of the Scottish Highlands and one of the 282 Munros (mountains) across Scotland.

The WaterAid challenge attempts to see as many volunteers as possible tackle the Munros and raise vital funds for their work in Rwanda, helping to make clean water, decent toilets, and good hygiene a normal part of daily life.

The team have been busy preparing for the gruelling challenge and working on their walking training plan to help them reach the summit, which will see them ascend to 1214m over 11km! Here's what they had to say:

Hanna Grimsdale (Ecologist) – “I’m really grateful to have the opportunity to do this challenge to raise money for WaterAid. The work they do is incredible and so important. Providing access to clean water and toilets has such significant knock-on effects to the whole community, especially the children within them, and I’m really hopeful that we can raise a lot of money to support this work.”

Brandon Mayuga (Catchment Advisor) - “We are extremely fortunate that our access to clean drinking water is as simple as switching on a tap and since joining Affinity Water, I have grown to further appreciate the incredible work and effort to ensure this access continues. But sadly, there are many places where access to water, both clean and dirty, is significantly reduced. Therefore, it's a great honour to be raising money and awareness for WaterAid to ensure that more people across the world have access to clean water.”

Chloe Bench (Assistant Project Manager, River Restoration) - “In the UK we are privileged enough to be protected by the Water Industry Act (1991). But around the world, 1 in 6 people have to drink unsafe water every day and every year over a million women and children die by infection due to ‘unclean’ births. I feel we have an obligation to change this. Everyone deserves clean water so that is why we are taking on the challenge.”

Phoebe Plumb (Assistant Project Manager, River Restoration) – “It's great that opportunities like this are dedicated to raising money for WaterAid. It's important to me that everyone has the same academic opportunities and WaterAid are helping to do that by providing toilets and sanitation in schools. This increases attendance in girls as they then have privacy to manage their personal hygiene.”

WaterAid is an international not-for-profit, determined to make clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene normal for everyone, everywhere within a generation. Only by tackling these three essentials in ways that last can people change their lives for good.

Clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene should be a normal part of everyone’s daily life. Without all three, people can’t live dignified, healthy lives. With all three, they can unlock their potential, break free from poverty and change their lives for good.