THE CHALLENGE: Our annual trek up Wales’ tallest mountain is one of our favorite challenges! We have conquered the mountain in every possible kind of weather, and every single time it is a blast. Once described as a ‘big animal welfare hug’ it is a chance to meet other animal lovers from both our charity and also our trekking partner, Nowzad Dogs. Each year we are led up the slopes by the wonderful Adventure Fitness Co. who provides their qualified and experienced mountain leaders voluntarily in order to help us all raise money for Animals Asia. At 1,085 metres, Snowdon is the highest mountain in England and Wales and the same height as Table Mountain in South Africa. Our challenge is graded as hill walking and suitable for anyone with a reasonable fitness level - this is not a race but a personal or team challenge while raising much needed funds for the animals you care about. At the end of our trek, we all meet up in the local pub along with our trekking companions from Nowzad dogs to take part in the customary pub quiz famously hosted by Pen Farthing. Of course the competition will be on to see what team from which charity takes home the glory! WHEN? The 16th of September 2017 WHERE? Mount Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa), Tyn Y Coed near Capel Curig, Wales HOW MUCH IS IT? Registration fee is £20 for one place and we ask you to raise a suggested sponsorship of £300 for the animals. JOIN OUR FUNDRAISING PAGE: We have registered our event on Virgin Money Giving which means that you can link your own personal fundraising page to the event and we can see a collective team effort. All you need to do is go to: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/giving/ find Animals Asia and click 'events'. It will lead you through setting up your own page. You will get a page link and you can send to all of your friends, family and work colleagues by email and they can use it to make a donation online. This is often much simpler than having to run around with a sponsorship form and collect in all the money after the event and saves Animals Asia a vast amount in administration time. Virgin Money Giving collect the donations and pay them directly into our bank account. They also claim the Gift Aid for us. Sign up now to secure your place in our exhilarating challenge! FURTHER INFORMATION AND FAQ’S: At a height of 1085m it is no ‘walk in the park’ (excuse the pun). But a serious undertaking as the weather, personal fitness and mountain environment are all serious factors to be considered! Why trek to the summit? Well for a start there is (subject to Welsh weather) normally a glorious view and of course the world famous Snowdon café. The Snowdon light railway goes to the summit too but that would be cheating. This event is all about challenging ourselves and raising money for the work of Animals Asia. What better way to raise money than digging deep and pushing yourself to reachthe top! (But please do save some energy so you can get back down too!). So what's the plan? Friday 15th September: For those who can make it we will all meet for a pre-trek ‘drink’ in Tyn Y Coed near Capel Curig around 7pm; (our base for the duration of the weekend) to get to meet other members of the group. Saturday 16th September: 08.30 we will meet at the layby next to the Tyn Y Coed pub to sort out shuttles. (You are required to pay for parking along most laybys in Snowdonia – bring plenty of one pound coins!). More detailed information on the route we will be taking and advice will be sent out to you nearer the date of the challenge. Saturday 16th September evening: Retire to Tyn Y Coed to bask in the glow of a successful summit bid where you can enjoy a few pints, hearty meal and listen to an update on the work of Nowzad Dogs in Afghanistan presented byPen Farthing and of Animals Asia presented by Gill Maltby before the now world famous after Snowdon quiz night begins! Safety on the mountain: You will not be on your own at any time! The organiser ‘Pen’ is an extremely experienced and qualified mountaineering instructor and he is extremely grateful to The AdventureFitness Company for supporting us with qualified and experienced mountaineering instructors who have given up their time to accompany us during this event to ensure you have a safe and very enjoyable weekend. So what equipment do I need? The summit of Snowdon can be a very remote and hostile environment should the weather turn for the worse. You must come prepared for the mountains. The following is a MUST. • Decent waterproof jacket and trousers (not a pac-a-mac), • lightweight walking trousers and top, walking fleece, (spare thick fleece for emergencies or breaks), • decent warm hat and gloves, • thick walking socks (plus spare pair) and of course decent walking boots that have been broken in during your training walks!! • Flask of hot tea, bottled water, snacks and a hearty packed lunch. There is a café at the summit but it is expensive and not a certain it will be open! • You will also need camera (fully charged and mobile phone but all waterproofed). If you need to buy new equipment and are unsure of the suitability then please email Pen Farthing: [email protected] with the link for the product for some sound mountain advice in return. You may bring your dog BUT they must be able to walk the distance, have their own food/ water carried for them and have access to a dog coat or towel should the weather turn nasty. We have known -10C on top of Snowdon in JUNE!! With places limited, we hope you will agree this is a great opportunity to challenge yourself and have a fun day out in the company of like-minded individuals who just like you care passionately about putting an end to animal cruelty and most importantly want to make a positive difference. .