Manchester business leader to take on The Arctic for The Joshua Tree

Together’s Chris Baguley is set to begin a trek across the Arctic in support of much loved charity The Joshua Tree.

At the end of January, Chris, who is Group Channel Development Director at Together, will be taking part in the 70km trek, facing temperatures of between -20 and -40 with the ambitious target to raise £10,000.

The Joshua Tree provides bespoke programmes of support to improve the emotional wellbeing and mental health of all immediate and extended family members who are affected by childhood cancers. It operates across North West England, Cheshire and North Wales, providing care to families in need.

Chris said: “I want to really test myself and support an amazing charity, it’s an added bonus that this will be the trip of a lifetime.

“The Joshua Tree is an incredible charity, which provides invaluable support to children and the whole family during such a traumatic and challenging time.

“It is an honour to be able to raise as much money as possible to support everything they do. It is the one thing that will keep me going throughout the whole trip and ensure that I do everything I can to get through it.”

Together, which donated £10,000 to The Joshua Tree in 2023, will be matching the money Chris raises up to the same amount.

Rich Driffield, CEO of The Joshua Tree said: “We are hugely grateful to Chris for taking on this epic challenge, and we know he has been training very hard for it.

“It’s incredible to see the dedication and willingness of individuals to go above and beyond to help raise funds for The Joshua Tree and our work supporting families affected by childhood cancers. The demand for our services continues to grow, so fundraising challenges like this are crucial, and really help to raise awareness of our vital work.

“Good luck to Chris and everyone who is taking part, it will be an amazing experience.”

The latest donation comes as part of the lender’s commitment to supporting important local charities. Together has made previous donations to homeless youth charity Centrepoint, We Love Manchester, which works to alleviate child poverty in the city, and St Anne’s Hospice, a charity supporting adults affected by life-limiting illnesses and their families.

Chris is raising donations through his JustGiving page here.