Rod to reach for new heights in aid of nursing trust

Shropshire Council’s director of public health Rod Thomson will be joining a team of intrepid volunteers to climb Mount Edith Cavell in Canada to help raise funds for nurses and other healthcare workers.

Rod is one of three nurses from the Royal College of Nursing who were amongst the first to sign up to The Mount Cavell Challenge from 22 to 29 August 2015, to raise money on behalf of the Cavell Nurses’ Trust. The group are also raising funds for the RCN Foundation, another nursing charity.

The Cavell Nurses’ trust supports 1,100 UK nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants during times of difficulty ever year. From a listening ear to help with maximising benefits.

The Trust is seeking 100 nurses to take part in the fund raising event which marks the centenary commemoration of the execution of the nurse Edith Cavell, which the mountain is named after, by the German Army for assisting allied soldiers to escape.

The team will fly from Heathrow airport arriving in Calgary and will travel by coach for six hours down the Trans-Canadian-Highway to Jasper National Park, where they will begin their week’s challenge.

Rod has been preparing in readiness for the11,000 ft mountain hike/ascent, which can take anything from 12 to 18 hours to complete. As part of his strict training regime, Rod will be taking part in the Three Peaks Challenge at the end of July 2015.

Rod Thomson said:-

“Both the Cavell Trust and the RCN foundation provide invaluable support to nurses who are experiencing hardship. As the new Deputy President of the Royal College of Nursing, I felt that I should be doing something practical to raise awareness of the charities and to raise funds to help my nursing colleagues when they experience hardship.”

Karen Calder, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for health, and Chair of Shropshire’s Health and Well-being board, added:

“I’m so pleased that Rod has kindly given up his time to these very worthy causes. I wish him and his team the very best and look forward to hearing of his adventures.”

So far Rod has raised £800 of the £4,000 he’s wishing to raise.

To support and make a donation to the Mount Cavell Challenge visit https://www.justgiving.com/Rod-Thomson1. You can also text a donation on text number 70070 using the code is CAVL55 and just text the amount you want to donate.

For more information about the challenge and the trust visit https://www.cavellnursestrust.org/campaign/mount-cavell-challenge.

Further information

Cavell Nurses’ Trust provides vital support to all UK nurses during very difficult times. The trust offers help to registered nurses, midwives, healthcare assistants, student nurses and retired nurses who have given a lifetime of caring and compassion.

Cavell Nurses’ Trust, formerly known as NurseAid, was originally set up in 1917 following the public outcry that followed the death of Edith Cavell. Many members of the public sent donations in memory of Edith and these formed a source of funds we still use to help nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants in their time of need.

Mount Edith Cavell is located in the Athabasca River and Astoria River valleys of Jasper National Park and the most prominent peak entirely within Alberta.

The mountain was named in 1916 for Edith Cavell, an English nurse executed by the Germans during World War I for having helped Allied soldiers escape from occupied Belgium to the Netherlands, in violation of German military law. It was previously known as la montagne de la Grande traversée (the Mountain of the Great Crossing) because it stands above Athabasca Pass.

• The mountain has a total elevation of 3363m with a prominence of 2,007m.

• Overall difficulty rating = 5.3

• Subject to the chosen route of ascent, Mount Edith Cavell can take anything from 12 to 18 hours to complete.

• There are six climbing routes in total. The most common ascents are the East Ridge which has been given an alpine grade 3 rating, and the West Ridge which is been given an alpine grade 2 rating with the West being the easier of the two.

 Photo: Rod Thomson is seen on far left, with Royal College of Nursing colleagues.