Case Studies, Inspiration

OUR CLIENTS – YMCA NORTH TYNESIDE

January 21, 2025

Over the last 25 years, Charity Challenge have worked with hundreds of businesses to provide innovative and dynamic solutions for employee engagement, and CSR. Our exclusive corporate challenges help companies develop stronger team bonds, demonstrate corporate responsibility and have amazing experiences, all whilst supporting their charity partnerships.

We spoke to Cameron Galloway, Fundraising Coordinator at YMCA (North Tyneside) about how their exclusive Mount Toubkal Trek went…

Client case study ycma north tyneside mount toubkal - group at mountain summit

Please introduce yourself…

I’m Cameron Galloway, Fundraising Coordinator at YMCA North Tyneside. In October 2024, 16 of our supporters took on our first ever overseas challenge to climb Mount Toubkal, the highest mountain in Morocco, standing at 4,167m above sea level – raising over £26,000 for our cause. 

Mount Toubkal Trek Scenery

Why did you choose Charity Challenge?

We knew some associates that had done a previous Dog Sledding challenge with Charity Challenge and we had really good feedback from them – and we had only ever heard good things about the company. It was also the first time YMCA North Tyneside had done an overseas challenge and we wanted to do it with Charity Challenge because of the good feedback we’d heard and their excellent reputation.

Client case study ycma north tyneside mount toubkal - group together

What were you hoping to achieve?

Our primary goals were to increase public awareness of our charity’s work supporting young people across the North East and to secure funding for a community bus project. We believed this challenge would be a valuable platform to achieve both objectives.

Mount Toubkal Trek scenery

How did it go?

Our team was made up of board members, community members, business owners and YMCA Staff who came together to support our work and take on a life changing adventure. 

One participant saw the challenge on the Charity Challenge website and had no previous association with our Charity, they were actually from Hertfordshire, so nowhere near North Tyneside! This was good for us because they will hopefully become a long-term supporter of our charity, and it will help connect them with their local YMCA too.  

While we left Marrakech in 25 degree heat, the conditions quickly changed as we approached base camp. After a long day of walking through the Atlas Mountains we went to bed with a blanket of snow falling and freezing conditions predicted. We woke up on summit day to below freezing temperatures and icy conditions, however our guides were invaluable in keeping the team safe and ensuring we made it to the summit.

Client case study ycma north tyneside - scenery

What were your highlights?

My highlight was being part of something that felt quite big – I’ve always wanted to climb mountains overseas and I’ve done a few in the UK but doing it in Morocco is just completely different. The scenery, the altitude and the weather was just excellent. It had been such a journey for everyone, as a lot of people put their name down up to two years before. We had been training, meeting up and fundraising for the last couple of years, so when we made it to the top it was quite emotional for the team.   

Even for the people that didn’t summit, to get to the base camp was an amazing achievement, as with the Toubkal Challenge, you go from sea level to over 4000m in 24 hours, so it’s really tough as there’s no real time for acclimatisation! I’m extremely proud of our whole group. 

A lot of people have said it’s changed their outlook on their physical and mental health. They’ve decided to make a few positive healthy changes in their life and others have decided that this was the first of many – and that they’re going to conquer another challenge or mountain. So, everyone has come back with a new outlook on life. 

mount toubkal summit with snow and clouds

What did Charity Challenge do well?

Pre-challenge – We had a personal call with Simon when we were first looking at doing the challenge and it was excellent to receive the advice and information straight from him. Then we were talking with Tilly, our Account Manager for the challenge. She was excellent, we had regular calls and emails, and she chased us up if we hadn’t completed anything on time! We also had video calls going over information verbally, so it wasn’t just all over email.  

We actually had to change our challenge after we first signed up – but that process of changing was really smooth, even the flights. Also, in terms of checking all information was correct, the kit list and the itinerary was exactly how it happened on the trip, so that was all excellent too. 

During challenge – The ground team was amazing, and the doctor was brilliant. The doctor was friendly and knowledgeable, as he’d done other challenges before. He had actually had some altitude sickness himself, but he still looked after the rest of us really well.  The guides were excellent – they looked after us, whether it was giving us information on the local area, keeping us safe while navigating tricky parts of the challenge or chatting about their lives – it was great and we can’t fault them!  

Post challenge – About a week after the challenge, we had a debrief with Tilly and discussed a few things we wanted to raise. It was mostly all positives, but anything we did mention was picked up and I’m confident Charity Challenge listened to our feedback. 

The participants shared that they had really good experiences, the doctor and the guides were great, and it was excellent having their support. Another said the doctor was a ‘superstar’, with great communication and quick to respond to questions. Overall, it was an excellent response, a few people were keen to get their next challenge underway.

As a charity, we could be looking to do a challenge once every few years, depending on numbers and interest. But it was incredible – and if we were to do it again, we would be using Charity Challenge.  

Client case study ycma north tyneside mount toubkal - group together

Testimonial

Rating: 5 out of 5.

“I can’t thank Charity Challenge enough for enabling us to take part in this life changing adventure. The friendships formed and the memories made will last a lifetime, and the impact made from the funds raised on the trip will go on to support our charity work for years to come.”

Cameron Galloway, Fundraising Coordinator, YMCA (North Tyneside)

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Learn more about our corporate challenges here – or download our brochure.

If you’re interested in engaging your employees with a challenge event – book your free initial consultation now!

During our consultation, we will discuss your business needs, goals and values, provide you with options aligned to your objectives, and then of course, answer any questions that you might have. We’ll also discuss what support we offer and how we will work together throughout your challenge journey. You can expect this call to last about 30 minutes.

We look forward to speaking with you soon!

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