Ain’t no mountain high enough - Phoebus Software climbs Mount Everest at home for children’s charity during lockdown

16 November 2020

Staff at Phoebus Software have been keeping busy since lockdown earlier this year and have just completed their second virtual Mount Everest climb as we enter a second national lockdown.

Phoebus Software Ltd (PSL), has raised over £2,155 for its nominated charity, Acorn Children’s Hospice based in Selly Oak. The money raised will go towards supporting children with tailored care plans, including emergency and end of life care, short breaks, as well as emotional and practical support.

The event was organised by Acorns Hospice to climb the same height as Mount Everest. Two PSL employees took on the challenge and raised money for the charity by climbing stairs, cycling up hills and climbing Mount Snowdon. David Breeze, QA Lead at Phoebus Software, said, “I completed the task by climbing the Lickey Hills every night which was roughly 300m per evening over a 5 week period and two climbs up Mount Snowdon.”

The first Mount Everest challenge took David Marsden-Green 34 days to climb a total of 9455 metres. Commenting on his experience, he said: “The first climb, although physically challenging, was enjoyable as it was mostly done in summer conditions. The second was a different story. With the weather turning towards the end of September, it got much colder, wetter, darker earlier and the conditions became heavier and harder going.”

During the first national lockdown, 30 PSL staff members also raised money for Acorns Hospice by covering the 874 miles from John O’Groats to Land’s End. This was achieved through a mix of walking, running, and cycling and was completed in under ten days, so the team decided to carry on. One employee decided to run 5k every day for the entire month. At the end of the challenge, the total distance covered was the same as travelling from the UK to the North Pole.

Phoebus Software Limited’s sales and marketing director Richard Pike, says, “We continuously encourage our team members to take part in charitable giving both inside and outside of the workplace. We do all that we can to support them and what David and the team have done during lockdown has both lifted morale at PSL and raised over £2,000 for such a deserving charity. We hope this money will provide families with a home away from home during these increasingly challenging and uncertain times.”

Since 2019, Phoebus Software has supported several in-house charitable activities, including:

Five collections for local foodbank ‘Sparkhill’, including one around Diwali
Company sponsorship and donations
Company prize donation to numerous client charity raffles and auctions
Staff volunteering time to teach coding skills to disadvantaged young people
PAYE donations from staff who want to contribute to charity directly from their pay

In addition to its local and national fundraising, PSL also supports charities across the world. This year will be the tenth year it has supported not-for-profit organisation Kiva. Kiva helps alleviate poverty by providing small loans to improve the working or living environment of people in the developing world.

To find out more about PSL visit: www.phoebus.co.uk