Bank’s Brecon Beacons challenge raises more than £16,500 for charity

A team of 26 colleagues from Solihull-based Paragon Bank has raised more than £16,500 for charity after completing the gruelling ‘Fan Dance’ challenge in the Brecon Beacons.

Paragon is one of Solihull’s largest employers and the 14-mile mountain trek, originally used as part of UK Special Forces selection, was organised to raise money for Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY).

The hike, which the team completed in just over eight hours, included a double ascent of Pen y Fan (886m), the highest peak in South Wales, taking in neighbouring summit, Corn Du (873m), with a total ascent of 3,800 ft.

The challenge was led by Paragon employee, Simon Tull, with support from qualified Mountain Leaders at SVL Adventures.

In 2025, Simon achieved the remarkable feat of summiting all 121 P600 peaks across the British Isles in just 93 days in support of charity.

Simon has built on that success by continuing to combine his love of hiking with a commitment to fundraising.

The initiative formed part of Paragon’s ongoing commitment to supporting CRY, its Charity of the Year for the 2025-26 financial year after several of the bank’s employees and their loved ones were impacted by cardiac and heart conditions.

CRY funds research aimed at preventing sudden cardiac death in young people, alongside raising awareness, delivering cardiac screening and supporting affected individuals and families.

Thanks to the incredible efforts of colleagues across the Group, Paragon is now well on track to surpass its fundraising target.

The total currently stands at an impressive £37,000 - already 92% of the Group’s £40,000 target for 2025-26.

Lora Sinicola, chair of Paragon’s Charity Committee, said: “This challenge brought our people together with a shared purpose, and we’re really proud of the passion and commitment shown by Paragon colleagues, whether they were taking on the hike or supporting behind the scenes with refreshments, logistics and transport.

“Together, they’ve raised a record amount, demonstrating the power of teamwork and the positive impact our people can have when they rally behind a fantastic cause which has impacted many of us personally.”

Simon added: “I’ve always enjoyed organising challenges that help people achieve something incredible for themselves while supporting charity. It’s been a pleasure bringing this event together and seeing everyone’s efforts pay off.

“It was a tough day in the heat, but we pulled through as a team with resilience and determination. “We are blown away by the generosity of friends, family and colleagues, which I’m sure will make a real difference for such a worthy cause.”