Climbing Mont Blanc

Today we look back on a momentous climb taken on by our very own Managing Director Greg and his chosen mental health charity, for which, he raised an incredible £3,000!
The trip began on the 25th August with a 2-day climb of the Grand Paradiso in Italy (to acclimatize ready for the big one!) and ended with a 3-day climb of the Mont Blanc (4808m/15774ft) in France.

To reach the fitness levels needed to embark on this adventure, Greg spent the best part of 6 months jogging, weight-training, cycling on the Peloton, and hiking. When asked how difficult the climb would be, he said, “the effort required on summit day exceeds that of running a marathon”.

As any tech-savvy adventurer would, Greg documented his trip on social media, so we were able to follow him on his awesome adventure and see the challenges he was facing in real-time. Some of which included; overcoming his fear of heights, altitude-related insomnia, snowfall covering the rocks on the Couloir (a deadly section of the mont-blanc prone to rockfall), and the toll the descent took on his joints.

On summit day Greg was surprised at how painful the climb down was, “Although the ascent was extremely challenging the descent was even harder for me due to the toll it took on my knees feet and ankles…currently in agony!”.

When it came to getting over the hurdles, he would have found it harder if he didn’t have such a worthy cause to do it for.
We Mind & Kelly Matters was formed in 2019 after the devasting loss of a beautiful daughter, sister, and friend taken from the charity’s founder way too young following her struggles with Mental Health.

It was founded to raise awareness for mental health and suicide prevention by a friend of Greg’s, John (Kelly’s dad), who has supported and helped Greg and Dufeu IT for many years.
The support We Mind & Kelly Matters offer includes raising awareness for mental health and suicide prevention, training, and education right through to providing counselling and postvention support.

Greg’s page is still open for donations, alternatively, if you would like to support the charity in your own way, there are many ways to get involved including; fundraising, volunteering, or helping to spread the word.