Michael Smith and Jack Stacy, who both work for Blackstone portfolio business Revantage Real Estate, have raised more than £150,000 for disability charity SeeAbility after climbing 24 peaks in 24 hours.
Smith, who has only around 10% vision and no depth perception, and his colleague Stacy overcame the challenge by holding a pair of tights during the climb, which they ysed as a communication device to navigate through the mountains of the Lake District.
The 24 peaks included Scafell Pike, the highest mountain in England, with the pair covering 28 miles and ascending 12,000 feet in total. They split the challenge into two 12-hour shifts - covering nine peaks on the first day, and 15 on the second.
Among the companies who sponsored the duo include Revantage Real Estate, Thirdway, Knight Frank and Arthur Cox. You can still donate to their JustGiving page by clicking this link.
"The experience has been pretty emotional," Smith said. "I chose this challenge as I knew it would be way out of my comfort zone, using so many faculties that I’ve developed since my sight loss.
"When we reached the last peak, I felt a real outpouring of emotions and it wasn’t just the physical aspect of it, it’s the fact that but for Jack, I wouldn’t have been able to set foot on the first mountain, so it means a huge amount to me.”
For Stacy, who became chair of SeeAbility a year ago, the challenge is also deeply personal. His brother, Matty, was born prematurely and spent the first four months of his life in an incubator. The oxygen treatment that saved his life caused him to lose his sight.
He added: "We’ve had amazing support from our sponsors, our friends, families, and colleagues and from the general public. It’s been extraordinary and we’re tremendously grateful for everyone’s support in raising so much money for SeeAbility.
"As well as fundraising, as important for us, and in keeping with SeeAbility’s ethos, we wanted to challenge perceptions about what people with disabilities can do and what’s possible."
SeeAbility, based in Leatherhead (Surrey), celebrated its 225th anniversary this year and states that it is works towards an inclusive society, where people with learning disabilities, autism and sight loss can fulfil their ambitions.
It adds that the people it supported into paid employment over the last year worked 4,223 hours, enabling them to have the independence to save and spend their own money.
You can read about Smith and Stacy's preparation here.