A TEAM of dedicated employees including workers from the Barbour store in Knutsford took on the UK’s largest mountain to raise money for the charity that’s close to their hearts.

On October 11 a group of nine employees from the Knutsford store and a store in Blackbrook, Newcastle-under-Lyme, made the seven hour journey to the town of Fort William in Scotland to begin their ascent to the summit of Ben Nevis.

The event has helped to raise more than £5,000 for Cancer Research UK.

The team, from the Princess Street outlet, decided back in May that they wanted to organise an event that would allow them to support Cancer Research simply because each one of them had been affected by the disease through friends or family.

Lauren Stone, who organised the event, highlighted the importance of the charities’ efforts.

She said: “Most of us do not realise the valuable work that Cancer Research does until something happens to them, a family member or a friend.”

The employees rallied their family and friends for donations and even organised a fundraising weekend at a local pub, which added nearly £900 to their goal of £2,000.

Owing to the success of the fundraiser, a second event has been planned for the coming weeks, where prizes from local and national companies will be raffled off and proceeds added to the current total, all of which will be donated to Cancer Research.

Led by a guide, the nine employees reached the summit at 1pm on Saturday, October 12 before beginning their descent to base camp.

By the time the team began scaling Ben Nevis they had managed to raise more than £2,500 and as part of their company’s social responsibility policy, Smith & Morris matched the amount meaning £5,000 was raised.