Something went wrong, please try again later. Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. Our free Nuneaton & Bedworth email updates are the best way to get headlines direct to your inbox Something went wrong, please try again later. Our free Nuneaton & Bedworth email updates are the best way to get headlines direct to your inbox Thick snow, painful blisters and a wind chill of -15C did not stop intrepid Nuneaton hospital staff from completing a mountainous mission. The group said that, during the darkest moments of their trek to the summit of the highest mountain in North Africa, the thought of their patients kept them going. As reported by CoventryLive, 17 members of staff from the George Eliot Hospital set themselves a challenge -trekking to the top of Mount Toubkal in Morocco - to raise funds for the breast cancer unit at the 'Eliot. For many of them, they know just how important the unit is as they work there. And it was the thought of helping the patients thousands of miles away back in Nuneaton that kept them going through the incredibly tough challenge. The intrepid adventurers set off under the guidance of head torches at 3.30am on Saturday, April 20. READ MORE: Full cost of policing for Nuneaton protest march revealed READ MORE: £90k fine after grandad on paper round killed in lorry crush horror After getting very little sleep in their shared quarters, the group reached the summit of Mount Toubkal in Morocco just before 9am, braving thick snow, freezing temperatures and a wind chill of -15 degrees along their journey. Nine of the group made it to the summit, which stands at a mighty 4,167m first. This included Vicky Almey, Rebecca Buckler, Gavin Hawes, Mr Yogesh Jain, Dr Manish Mittal and Gemma Roper, alongside fellow NHS worker Valter Abreu and supporters Matthew Stockdale and Matthew Sherrington, the landlord at the Horseshoes pub, which is based near the hospital. (Image: George Eliot Hospital) The rest of the group successfully reached the Toubkal refuge on the mountain range in the afternoon, itself sitting at an impressive 3,207m, almost three times the height of Snowdon. They were George Eliot Hospital staff - Mr Deyhim Foroughi, Cheryl Hughes, Julie Morris, Claire Nutting, Angela Payne and Lisa Pettit, alongside recently retired Annette Tracey and supporter Deepak Lodhia. Not only did they conquer the challenge, they have so far raised more than £32,000. The funds raised by the team forms part of Nuneaton and Bedworth's Mayor, councillor Bill Hancox's civic appeal for the breast care unit. (Image: George Eliot Hospital) The whole group arrived back in the UK very early on Tuesday morning (April 22), with some of the dedicated team back at work at 8am that same morning. Many of them bore the battle scars of the trek - but they said every step was worth it. "The challenge was much harder than I think anyone had anticipated, it was certainly the case for me," said Gavin Hawes, communications and engagement manager at the 'Eliot. "But we were all able to support each other to achieve something incredible, pushing ourselves forward to raise the funds that will be hugely beneficial to our patients. “We’ve all come back with very sore legs and a few blisters, but it was all worth it and we’ve made some incredible memories." (Image: George Eliot Hospital) Claire Nutting, Senior Nurse in the breast care team, added: "We have done this for our patients, we just kept going thinking about the support they have shown us, and they have truly helped us to achieve what we have. "The appeal is very important with so many people impacted by breast cancer and it will go a long way to be able to bring better care to the people of Nuneaton and Bedworth." Chris Blundred, Clinical Director of Urgent and Emergency Care at the hospital and a qualified international mountain guide, led the group on their trek. He said: "I am so proud of everyone for what they achieved. Whether getting to the summit or 3200m they were all able to dig deep into whatever reserves they had to conquer their challenges." Donations can still be made for the appeal and the charity climb, visit the fund-raising page here The cash raised will be used to buy much-needed equipment for the unit which serves people from across Nuneaton, Bedworth and wider North Warwickshire.