Over the last 26 years, we have helped raise over £95,000,000 for thousands of incredible causes. Our charity clients include: The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, CoppaFeel!, the British Heart Foundation, Mind, Cancer Research UK, Macmillan Cancer Support, Sands, Alzheimer’s Research UK, Prostate Cancer Research, the NSPCC, Comic Relief, UNICEF, Save the Children and hundreds of smaller organisations. We are hugely experienced at operating challenges to the highest standards of quality and safety and will do all we can to help your organisation recruit and engage participants and supporters.
We caught up with Royal LePage® Shelter Foundation™ on how their recent Cambodia Challenge went…
Please introduce yourself…
I’m Carly Neill, Fundraising and Communications Manager at the Royal LePage® Shelter Foundation™ and in October 2025, 117 Royal LePage professionals took on the Cambodia Challenge for Shelter, trekking for 5 days through Phnom Kulen National Park. Together, an incredible $1,620,000 Canadian Dollars were raised for our mission to help women and children safely escape intimate partner violence.
Why did you choose Charity Challenge to run this challenge?
We began our partnership with Charity Challenge in 2014, and they have since become a long-standing and trusted collaborator. Over the years, we have delivered five Royal LePage treks together, collectively raising more than $5,539,000 in support of the Shelter Foundation. These initiatives include the Cambodia Challenge (2025), Ecuador Challenge (2023), Sahara Desert Challenge (2019), Iceland Challenge (2017), and Machu Picchu Challenge (2015).
What were you hoping to achieve with the Cambodia Challenge?
We are always looking to diversify the locations and experience of our challenges. This particular challenge offered a hot climate and a jungle trekking experience that we hadn’t done on previous challenges. We were also intrigued by the distance from Canada. The distance provided a level of challenge in getting to the start point that wasn’t going to be easy in terms of long flights, connections, and the jet lag that follows! We knew this would push our trekkers outside of their comfort zones and create another element of ‘challenge’ that we could incorporate into our fundraising materials.
How did it go?
The challenge went exceptionally well! Four full groups signed up, and we got an incredibly positive response. We were delighted by the fundraising success of the challenge. $1.6 million dollars is an astounding amount of money raised that will make an incredible difference for so many families seeking safety, hope and healing at their local women’s shelter.
We also had really great feedback from our trekkers about the experience – they were especially pleased with the catering teams, the quality and quantity of food, and accommodations and tents. I think they were really wowed by how varied the terrain and vistas were. They were walking through rice paddies, then into the jungle, then alongside rural roads. The experience changed day by day, keeping people engaged throughout. There was also some climbing which spoke to the people in the group who liked the challenge of a tough ascent!
What were your highlights?
The teamwork was the main highlight – watching people from across the country bond and make lifelong friendships. Witnessing them turn from strangers into people that were crying because they won’t see each other the next week! That was really special.
What did Charity Challenge do well?
During the planning, we always feel like Charity Challenge has thought of everything. From tiny details like making sure there is decaf tea available, to safety and risk management and monitoring situations geo-politically around the world. They’ve got their eye on every important detail.
The leaders and ground team were very experienced in the logistics of guiding groups throughout the challenge. They understand how to move people from point A to point B. They understand footcare, proper hydration and they were a great support system for our trekkers in this capacity. Importantly, they were also experienced in the dynamics of people. Being cheerleaders and encouraging our challengers, but never babying anybody. The guides did a great job of stepping into a leadership role among a group of adults who were professional leaders themselves, and making them feel safe and supported.
I appreciated having a debrief session post-challenge with the Charity Challenge staff, where we unpacked every detail of the experience. We shared what we felt went well, or where we could make changes. Charity Challenge constantly striving to make the experience better for us, and for our participants, is much appreciated.
Photo credit: WENU Media Production
Testimonial
There’s a lovely element of a one-on-one relationship working with Charity Challenge. I can ask anything, and there’s always someone who’s going to get back to me personally. It’s not like a corporate travel company where you just ‘sign here and show up’ – it really feels like a collaborative process in building an unforgettable bucket list experience for our clients.
– Carly Neill, Fundraising and Communications Manager at Royal LePage® Shelter Foundation™
Read more about our customers have to say on the Google Reviews link below:
Check out the challenge video below:
Learn more about our corporate challenges here or download our corporate 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!
No Comments