After almost three decades of fundraising challenges, we’re getting closer to a huge milestone: £100 million raised for good causes since 1999.
To celebrate the people behind the miles, memories and fundraising, we launched 100 Faces of £100 Million. Every fundraising challenge has a story – we asked, what’s yours? Entries had the chance to win a place on our exclusive 100km Sahara Desert Trek in April 2027.
The response was incredible – with stories from across the Charity Challenge community and beyond that inspired, surprised and moved us!
Meet Our Sahara Desert Trek Winner: Naida! 🏆
We were blown away by Naida’s beautifully spoken words of mountains, friendship, community and resilience. Her entry captured exactly what challenge events are about – and why we keep going.
As our trek winner, Naida will also be joining us in April 2027 to trek 100km across the Sahara Desert, as we celebrate £100 million raised for good causes since 1999.
Alongside our overall winner, we selected Gold, Silver and Bronze winners across three categories: Most Inspiring Story, Outstanding Fundraising Achievement, and the Legacy Award for Long-Term Supporter, recognising some of the incredible stories and achievements shared with us.
Most Inspiring Story
- 🥇 Gold | Liz’s Story: Liz turned one spontaneous Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge into a trekking journey spanning eight more challenges, at age 85!
- 🥈 Silver | Emma’s Story: After being diagnosed with breast cancer at 31, Emma has pushed her physical limits through Charity Challenge treks, raising money for CoppaFeel! along the way.
- 🥉 Bronze | Michelle’s Story: Through illness, loss and adversity, Michelle has continued to challenge herself, raise money for charity and inspire others to make every opportunity count.
Outstanding Fundraising Achievement
- 🥇 Gold | Kerry’s Story: Since 2012, Kerry has taken on Charity Challenge treks every two years, raising an incredible £360,000 for Breast Cancer Now along the way.
- 🥈 Silver | Kate’s Story: Kate ran over 1,000 miles in 2024, raising £30,000, before bringing together a team of 23 to climb Kilimanjaro and raise a staggering £293,000 for Greenfingers Charity.
- 🥉 Bronze | Matt’s Story: Matt and his daughter Holly raised an incredible £35,000 for the Bowelbabe Fund through their Himalayan Trek, contributing to more than £250,000 raised by the wider team.
Legacy Award for Long Term Supporter
- 🥇 Gold | Rachel’s Story: Rachel’s Charity Challenge journey began in 2005 with the Inca Trail, and 13 challenges later, she’s still going – with the Sahara Desert Trek in 2027 marking her 14th challenge with us.
- 🥈 Silver | Dawn’s Story: What started with a solo trek in Iceland in 2013 turned into a decade-long adventure for Dawn, who has since taken on Kilimanjaro, the Amazon, Patagonia and Everest Base Camp – with Vietnam & Cambodia and the Sahara next!
- 🥉 Bronze | Naomi’s Story: From sponsored walks in the 1960s to marathons, cycling challenges and Charity Challenge treks, Naomi has spent decades raising money for good causes. She also created the Telford T50 route, which continues to help others fundraise today.
Thank You for Sharing Your Stories
A huge thank you to everyone who took the time to share their story with us, and to our judging panel – Simon Albert, Lizzy Codd, Ian Morton and Jennifer Payne – for the incredibly difficult job of choosing our winners.
We received so many amazing, personal and emotional stories that narrowing them down was no easy task. There were plenty of laughs, more than a few tears, and countless moments that reminded us just how special the Charity Challenge community is.
We’re incredibly proud of everyone who has taken on a challenge, raised money, supported others and played a part in helping us reach £100 million raised for good causes since 1999.
Every challenge has a story. Thank you for sharing yours.
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