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RCN Foundation 15th Anniversary logo featuring a large star with the number 15 inside, smaller stars surrounding it, and the tagline '15 years of strengthening nursing and midwifery and advancing care'. Make a Donation

Seven mountains, one nurse: raising money to support UK nurses and midwives

Rowena is a nurse and lecturer in nursing at the University of Derbyshire. She’s spent her career caring for others and helping to educate the next generation of healthcare professionals.

Now, she’s setting her sights on an extraordinary personal challenge: climbing the highest mountain on each of the seven continents and raising £15,000 to support the work of the RCN Foundation. 

Conquering Mount Everest 

To date, Rowena has successfully reached the summits of: 

  • Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895m, Africa) in January 2024
  • Mount Elbrus (5,642m, Europe) in August 2024
  • Aconcagua (6,961m, South America) in February 2025 

She now takes on her toughest climb yet – Mount Everest (8,849m) - the highest peak in Asia (and the world!). 

In early April, Rowena began her journey to Nepal where she will spend time at base camp and acclimatise to the high altitude. Thankfully, so far Rowena has found she doesn’t suffer from altitude sickness, so plans to take this in her stride!  

She is hoping to reach the summit of Everest by mid-late May, and we’ll be documenting her journey – follow us on social media (@RCN Foundation) to keep track of where she’s at. If she succeeds – which we have no doubts she will – Rowena will be the first ever female UK nurse to summit! 

On why she’s taken on such a challenge, Rowena said: “For me, this challenge is about more than physical endurance - it’s a way to shine a light on the compassion and strength that nurses, midwives and healthcare support workers show every single day. We all rely on the unwavering care of these professionals. They are the backbone of our health system and are currently facing challenges like never before.” 

If you’d like to support Rowena’s challenge and cheer her on from afar, you can donate via her JustGiving page.

Making a lasting impact - one summit at a time! 

As part of our 15 year anniversary, Rowena has joined our 15x15 Challenge and set a fundraising goal of £15,000. Every £1 you donate will directly support nursing and midwifery professional in the UK when they need it most. 

“As someone who worked on the NHS frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve seen first-hand the toll it took on our profession - physically, mentally, and emotionally. Many of us are still dealing with the long-term impact. That’s why supporting the wellbeing of nurses is more important now than ever. I hope you’ll join me on this journey. Your support can help safeguard those who dedicate their lives to caring for others. Together, we can make a lasting impact - one summit at a time.” 

Donate today and help Rowena reach her goal. 

The rest of the world… 

Once Rowena has completed Mount Everest, three peaks still remain: 

  • Carstensz Pyramid (4,884m, Indonesia)
  • Denali/Mount McKinley (6,190m, North America)
  • Mount Vinson (4,892m, Antarctica) 

If that wasn’t enough, Rowena also plans to complete the Explorers Grand Slam, which is the addition of skiing to each Pole!