Emma Ryan, Joe Gibson, Rafiq Ahmed and Tasha Chellen climbed 4,167 metres to the highest point on the summit ridge of Jebel Toubkal to raise money for the Halcyon Foundation, a charity which aims to “raises awareness of autism and related conditions through training and education”. The original target for the fundraiser was £10,000, however, the team from Amicus almost doubled their target.

The Atlas Mountains are located in north-western Africa and are located between Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. Mount Toubkal, which is located 40m south of Marrakech, is the highest point in the range.

Joe, Underwriter at Amicus, detailed the final ascent. “On the last day we woke at 4am, scaled boulders in the darkness, traversed the ice sheets and reached the summit of Toubkal with the sun beating overhead. We then descended 2,500m and clocked up 13 hours of trekking in a single day. Knowing that the money we raised was going to the Halcyon Foundation, so they can provide help and support to all those individuals and families affected by autism, made it all worth it.”

Keith Aldridge, Managing Director of Amicus Property Finance (APF), was delighted by the team’s achievement. “We pride ourselves on overcoming challenges at APF.

“Initially I thought this was a big ask from a physical perspective, but an even bigger ask to reach the target we set ourselves of £10,000 for the Halcyon Foundation.

“To reach the peak and achieve almost £17,000 is an outstanding achievement.”

Amicus were grateful to all of their business partners who contributed to the success of their venture. Especially the following who contributed over £250 to have their logo displayed on the mountain top:

•             Aztec Property Valuers

•             Brecher Solicitors

•             Brightstar Financial

•             Finance 4 Business

•             Howard Kennedy

•             Moore Blatch Solicitors

•             MTD Property Lawyers

•             Musson Liggins

•             TFC Homeloans

•             ULS