Staff from estate agent My Property Box have raised more than £2,700 for North East heart charity Red Sky Foundation after successfully scaling England’s highest mountain.
Their magnificent effort in summiting the 3,209ft-high Scafell Pike launched the start of a series of fundraising events to mark the firm’s 10th anniversary.
The team – made up of 15 My Property Box staff, one from Newcastle-based sister company Groves Residential and Lettings, together with four friends and two dogs – took eight hours to complete the hike.
Ben Quaintrell, founder and managing director of the Darlington-headquartered My Property Box, which serves the North East and North Yorkshire, said: “As the boss I felt the pressure was on me not to stop for a breather too many times!
“We all had a brilliant day out and enjoyed some fantastic views from the top, improved by the knowledge that we were raising money for a worthy cause.
“Our team was a blend of ages and fitness levels, but despite the tough going, we stuck together, and returned with a real sense of achievement.
“I’d like to say a huge thanks to all those people who sponsored us. Our original target was £2,000 and to raise a total of £2,715 so far is magnificent.”
This September it is also staging a James Bond-themed fundraising ball in aid of the charity at Hardwick Hall, Sedgefield.
Red Sky Foundation was initially set up by Sergio and Emma Petrucci to support the Children’s Heart Unit at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital after their daughter underwent life-saving heart surgery in 2015.
Since then, the Sunderland charity has raised more than £600,000 to support a range of cardiac-related causes across the North East – helping babies, children and adults living with heart conditions at the Freeman, Sunderland Royal Hospital and James Cook Hospital, Middlesbrough. It has also funded countless defibrillators throughout the region.
Sergio Petrucci said: “We are extremely grateful to My Property Box for choosing to support us to mark the 10th anniversary of the business. By doing so, they are also improving outcomes for cardiac patients across the region.”
