Last week sixteen colleagues trekked to the summit of the fifth highest mountain in Wales in their efforts to raise money in support of Cavell.
The team of colleagues from across Cygnet Health Care and Cygnet Social Care services have raised £10,000 for Cavell which provides grants, advice and a listening ear to nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants, including support workers.
On Friday 21 June, they scaled Glyder Fawr, a mountain in Eyri (Snowdonia), Wales. The highest peak in the Glyderau range, at just over 1,000 metres it is the fifth-highest mountain in Wales.
The walk started from Ogwen Cottage near the foot of Llyn Ogwen. The initially gentle start didn’t last long as the path steepened to climb up past waterfalls to reach the hanging valley of Cwm Bochlywd. Passing the small lake that sits in the valley, the path then wound its way up on to the ridge of Y Gribin.
As the team worked its way up the ridge the sun began to break through the clouds to light up the tremendous views down the valley of Nant Ffrancon towards the Menai Strait and Anglesey.
Halfway up the ridge there was a brief respite with flatter ground before the team embarked on an exciting rocky scramble to finally reach the summit plateau with its unworldly landscape of jumbled boulders and spiky rock formations.
After unfurling Cygnet and Cavell flags for the obligatory photos on the summit the team carefully made their way down a steep scree path to the small lake of Llyn y Cŵn for a well-deserved lunch break.
The next stage of the descent was the steep stone staircase that passed below the atmospheric fissure known as Twll Du, or the Devil’s Kitchen. After lots of steep ups and downs, the walk concluded with a gentle path around the shores of Llyn Idwal.
CEO Dr Tony Romero said he was proud of everyone who took part. He added:
“I purposely chose a difficult route because I wanted everyone to feel challenged and have a real sense of achievement when we reached the top. There were parts of the climb that were far tougher than many people had expected, so I am really proud of everyone for completing it.
“There was a great sense of teamwork, determination and camaraderie on the day, which helped spur everyone on. It’s great to share challenges like this and bring out the best in each other.
“Most importantly, we have raised some valuable funds for a very worthwhile cause. Our nurses and support workers are the lifeblood of our organisation and provide care to some of society’s most vulnerable people.”
Alongside midwives and healthcare assistants, Cavell supports both working and retired nurses when they’re suffering personal or financial hardship often due to illness, disability, older age, domestic abuse and the ongoing cost of living crisis.
The charity offers an effective, tailored package of support to help everyone who gets in touch. It gives emotional support for those in crisis, advice on maximising benefits, signposting and referrals to specialist services, one-off grants to quickly relieve financial hardship and rapid emergency funding for those at great risk.
From simple, essential support like money to replace a broken cooker or travelling expenses to medical appointments, to vital life changing aid like helping a family flee their home due to domestic abuse, Cavell is there to help.
