Ashby firm raises £4k for vulnerable children in charity mountain challenge

Four employees of Journeo plc, based in Ashby-de-le-Zouch, have raised over £4,000 to support vulnerable children found on transport networks by taking part in a charity mountain challenge.

Starting on 25th June 2026, the group tackled Britain’s famed Three Peaks: Snowdon, Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis in just 48 hours as part of the Three Peaks Challenge by Rail, run by the charity Railway Children.

The challenge is estimated to equal three half-marathons on rough, uneven terrain, with thousands of metres of climbing – meaning that each team member needed to be fit and ready to succeed. The four colleagues trained for months to prepare by arranging group hikes, gradually increasing the distance walked over the weeks leading up to the challenge.

During the challenge, they travelled between each mountain on a chartered train service, spending night and day either on a mountain or travelling to their next destination.

The team faced the challenge during extreme heats and with little sleep, ultimately raising over £4,000 and counting, exceeding their fundraising goal. In total, the challenge raised over £220,000 for Railway Children.

Railway Children works with local governments, transport companies and communities to make transport networks safer for young people, drive policy change around child protection systems, and strengthen community responses to protect young people at risk.

Taking on the challenge from the transport technology and infrastructure company was Richard Webb (Group Sales Director), John Cope (Senior Design Engineer, Geoff Pulford (Business Development Manager), and Adam Cousins (Transport Systems Consultant – Business Development).

Adam took on the challenge as someone who was diagnosed with Perthes Disease at eight-years-old and has beaten cancer three times.

Adam said: “For me, this challenge was personal. Life has a funny way of throwing obstacles in front of you and then standing back to see what you’re going to do about it. I’ve never been particularly interested in giving up.

“I’ve learned that every mountain looks beautiful from a distance and considerably less beautiful when you’re halfway up it. But that’s the point. The challenge isn’t standing on the summit, it’s taking the next step when you’re tired, when it hurts, when it would be easier to stop. I think there’s a lesson in that for all of us. You cannot always control the outcome, but you can always control the effort. That’s what this challenge is about: effort, determination, and doing something that matters.

“Railway Children does incredible work helping vulnerable children who have nobody else to turn to. Children who face challenges far greater than a few sore feet and a steep mountain.”

Richard said: “The work that the Railway Children does sits right at the heart of what makes the railway industry such a fantastic place to work in; it represents that sense of family among colleagues and how the industry looks after its own.

“It’s impossible to not feel connected with the Railway Children’s work in supporting young people and keeping them safe, especially when you have a family of your own and can understand how easily any of us can find ourselves needing some support. This challenge was a real opportunity for us to work alongside like-minded people to support young people who need someone in their corner.”

John participated in the challenge as part of his journey to restore his fitness after recovering from knee surgery. One of his key focuses with Journeo is designing products that make public transport and stations feel more welcoming, which aligns with The Railway Children’s mission to help vulnerable people who need extra support to stay safe.

Geoff also works to protect people from harm on the network at Journeo by working to connect essential systems at stations and on trains to the cloud, such as CCTV. Learning more about The Railway Children through the Three Peaks Challenge has inspired him to explore other ways that technology can protect young people.

Rob Capener, Chief Executive of Railway Children, said: “Every year I am blown away by the commitment, generosity and determination shown by our supporters across the rail industry, such as Journeo – and this year was no exception. The conditions during the Three Peaks by Rail Challenge this year were particularly tough, and I’d like to congratulate every participant for their resilience, teamwork and dedication.”