CYGNET LAW STAFF EMBARK ON STAIR-RAISING CHALLENGE TO CLIMB THE EQUIVALENT HEIGHT OF MOUNT EVEREST

Cygnet Law staff are scaling the equivalent of Mount Everest by climbing the stairs at work.

Thirty employees at the Redcar-based firm are embarking on the challenge as part of an initiative to promote better health in the workplace.

Staff will be collectively climbing the height of Everest in a month by walking up 52,047 steps.

That is comparable to the 8,448m height of Everest and is also equivalent to climbing the tower at Durham Cathedral 160 times or to the top of Newcastle’s Grey’s Monument 317 times.

To complete the challenge, each member taking part must climb the reception stairs six times every weekday during the month.

As climbing stairs burns around a fifth of a calorie per step, that means the employees will burn around 10,000 calories between them, without having to cope with any altitude sickness or below-freezing temperatures.

It is part of Cygnet’s bid to achieve a bronze award in the North East Better Health at Work Award scheme.

The initiative, which is supported by the NHS, recognises and celebrates the hard work and commitment of organisations that are improving the health of their employees.

Staff at Cygnet are also using the challenge to raise money for the British Heart Foundation as part of National Heart Month.

Peter Medd, a director of Cygnet Law, which specialises in family law, mental health, conveyancing and wills and probate, is one of the staff members taking part in the Everest climb challenge.

He said: “We were researching ideas for office-based exercises and came across an article about climbing Everest at work.

“The staff have really taken to the challenge, with some office-based members taking to the stairs more often to make up for the staff who are out at court all day or on annual leave.

“It’s a fun way of encouraging staff to get out of their seats and moving around the office, to boost morale and improve fitness.

“We know our staff are Cygnet’s biggest asset and working towards the Better Health Bronze Award is just one of the ways we strive to improve the wellbeing of our employees.”

Pic caption: Some of the Cygnet Law staff who have taken up the Everest challenge: l-r Amy Drinkhall, Kira Reece, Alistair Nixon, Rebecca Fox, Stacey Turnbull, and Kirsty Jackson