A BANK manager has tackled a challenge of mountainous proportions in aid of a Dorset hospice.

Clare Rowe, HSBC area manager for Dorchester, scaled Ben Nevis and Snowden in 24 hours to raise money for the Weldmar Hospicecare Trust.

The two peaks are the highest mountains in Scotland and Wales, respectively.

Mrs Rowe, 31, aimed to complete the Three Peaks Challenge, setting out to climb Ben Nevis at 3.30am.

But the weather meant Scafell Pike, in the Lake District, was too dangerous to ascend.

Mrs Rowe said: “Mountain Rescue were turning people back. The roads were like rivers.”

She added: “We carried on with Snowdon regardless and completed it later that day.”

The challenge was part of Weldmar’s Go for Gold campaign, which is urging people to push their boundaries to help people suffering from cancer and other long-term diseases across the county.

Mrs Rowe, who lives in Exeter, said she did the challenge because she wanted to take part in a fundraising activity for a local charity.

She said: “Our staff have friends and family who have used the facilities at Weldmar.

“I wanted to do something difficult, a physical challenge. But the hardest part of this was the mental exhaustion.

“I enjoy walking and running, and I have been hiking in Argentina and Norway, but the Three Peaks was something I’ve always wanted to do, so it was a great challenge for me.”

Money raised through the campaign, which runs until the end of September, will help to run free services such as the Herringston Road hospice, as well as outpatient facilities and services for bereaved families.

Mrs Rowe raised £1,500 for the trust. She added: “It’s incredible knowing that one person can make a difference.”