Published on: 25 April 2025
The intrepid adventurers set off under the guidance of head torches at 3:30am on Saturday 19th April. After getting very little sleep in their shared quarters, the group reached the summit of Mount Toubkal in Morocco just before 9am, braving thick snow, freezing temperatures and a wind chill of -15 degrees along their journey.
Of the 17 who set out on the challenge, nine of the group made it to the summit, which stands at a mighty 4,167 m (13,671 ft).
The group included George Eliot Hospital staff: Vicky Almey, Rebecca Buckler, Gavin Hawes, Mr Yogesh Jain, Dr Manish Mittal and Gemma Roper, alongside fellow NHS worker Valter Abreu and supporters Matthew Stockdale and Matthew Sherrington, the landlord at the local Horseshoes pub.
The rest of the group successfully reached the Toubkal refuge on the mountain range on Friday afternoon, itself sitting at an impressive 3,207m, almost three times the height of Snowdon.
They were George Eliot Hospital staff: Mr Deyhim Foroughi, Cheryl Hughes, Julie Morris, Claire Nutting, Angela Payne and Lisa Pettit, alongside recently retired Annette Tracey and supporter Deepak Lodhia.
So far, the team has raised more than £32,000, with donations still open online here.
Speaking on the challenge, Gavin said: “The challenge was much harder than I think anyone had anticipated, it was certainly the case for me.
“But we were all able to support each other to achieve something incredible, pushing ourselves forward to raise the funds that will be hugely beneficial to our patients.
“We’ve all come back with very sore legs and a few blisters, but it was all worth it and we’ve made some incredible memories.”
The funds raised by the team form part of Nuneaton and Bedworth's Mayor, councillor Bill Hancox's civic appeal for the breast care unit.
Claire Nutting, Senior Nurse in the breast care team added: “We have done this for our patients, we just kept going thinking about the support they have shown us, and they have truly helped us to achieve what we have.
“The appeal is very important with so many people impacted by breast cancer and it will go a long way to be able to bring better care to the people of Nuneaton and Bedworth.”
The whole group arrived back in the UK very early on Tuesday Morning, with some of the dedicated team back at work at 8am that same morning.
Chris Blundred, Clinical Director of Urgent and Emergency Care at George Eliot Hospital and a qualified international mountain guide, led the group on their trek. He said: “I am so proud of everyone for what they achieved. Whether getting to the summit or 3200m they were all able to dig deep into whatever reserves they had to conquer their challenges.”