Firstco’s Three Peaks Challenge nets some £1,200 for COSMIC children’s charity

Seven members of staff at Firstco, the technical consultancy, project management and systems integration specialists - Rupert Exham, Darren Grey, Steve Haynes, Peter Laing, Stephen Nuttall, Richard Tirrell and Colin Reynolds – have completed the Three Peaks Challenge and, in the process, raised some £1,200 for the Children of St Mary’s Intensive Care (COSMIC) charity.

Not only did this team from Firstco climb the highest peaks in Scotland (Ben Nevis - 1344m), England (Scafell - 978m) and Wales (Snowdon - 1085m) – in that order – within 24 hours but, in the process, they also drove themselves and their kit some 500 miles.

“Firstco takes the issue of corporate social responsibility (CSR) seriously – and taking on the Three Peaks Challenge to raise funds for the important work that COSMIC does was part of our CSR strategy for 2007,” explained team member Rupert Exham, “In the end, although it was a different challenge from the ones we’re used to in corporate life, our determination and the high value placed on teamwork in Firstco saw us through.”

Firstco specialises in providing controls and communication solutions for large scale infrastructure projects, including sub-surface railways and airports. It is currently involved in such projects as Heathrow Terminal 5, the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and Crossrail, providing its clients with a total solution - from concept to commissioning and maintenance, based on collaboration and integration with clients and partners.

COSMIC was founded in 1994 to raise money for the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London, which treats around 400 desperately sick children every year.

It also funds internationally significant research into the causes, effects and treatment of life-threatening childhood diseases. To date, COSMIC has bought over £1,000,000 of life saving equipment and it has spent over £500,000 on ground breaking research into paediatric health.

As well as raising money to buy life-saving equipment, COSMIC aims to contribute to the cost of a programme of genetic research being carried out by St Mary's Hospital and Imperial College, London, into the causes and treatment of killer childhood diseases in both developed and less developed countries.

According to COSMIC, whose patrons are Sir Richard Branson, Sir Terry Wogan and the actress, Juliet Stevenson: “None of this work would be possible without the hard work of COSMIC’s supporters who help us to raise much needed funds.”

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Notes for Editors:

The Firstco staff’s Three Peaks Challenge schedule:

Duration Time
Start 00:00 1:15 PM
Climb Ben Nevis 02:32 3:47 PM
Time at summit 00:14 4:01 PM
Descend Ben Nevis 01:57 5:58 PM
Drive to Scafell Pike 06:18 12:16 AM
Climb Scafell Pike 02:04 2:20 AM
Time at Summit 00:12 2:32 AM
Descend Scafell Pike 01:58 4:30 AM
Drive to Snowdon 04:11 8:41 AM
Climb Snowdon 01:52 10:33 AM
Descend Snowdon 01:46 12:19 PM
Total 23:04

About Firstco

Working in a range of industries – notably transport, especially rail installations and airports; power and construction – Firstco specialises in controls and communication solutions for assignments of all sizes from buildings through to large scale infrastructure projects, including sub-surface railways and airports.

Firstco’s in-house team includes specialists in: systems engineering, software engineering, control room integration, consulting, project management and commissioning management.
Through its core services of consultancy, system delivery and project management, Firstco provides its clients with a total solution - from concept to commissioning and maintenance, based on collaboration and integration with clients and partners.

Further information from:
David Bligh / Rupert Exham, Firstco, 0207 034 0833; www.firstco.uk.com