During these unsettling times our charity partners need our support more than ever. The continued Covid-19 situation puts them in an extremely vulnerable position as a huge portion of their income has been lost from cancelled fundraising events in 2020 and 2021. Now is the time that we all need to come together to ensure we can continue to help those most in need.
Charity Challenge have operated close to 100 challenges throughout England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales since the end of the first lock down in 2020. We are pleased to tell you that all of our UK and Irish challenges are now fully operational with Covid-Safe measures in place.
Our international challenges are due to start again from January 2022 and with thousands of trekkers and riders waiting to take part in their postponed challenges, we are getting ready operationally to put into practice all of the learning from operating our domestic challenges. We want anyone considering booking or travelling with Charity Challenge to have absolute confidence, so we have put together the following information to support your decision
making.
For downloadable pdfs of our Booking with Confidence details click on the relevant link below:
1. What happens if my challenge cannot run due to Covid-19?
Please rest assured that if Charity Challenge cannot operate a challenge in the host country due to Covid-19, we will offer you a number of options including:
- the chance to postpone your challenge to a later departure (this year or next)
- to join any Charity Challenge trip in another country (this year or next)
- to transfer your place to someone else
- to receive a refund of monies paid for the challenge (excluding admin fees)
2. When are Charity Challenge making a final decision regarding if a challenge can take place?
Overseas Challenges
If for any reason we don’t feel your challenge can proceed we will make a decision approximately 12 weeks prior to your challenge (the only exception to this would be if the government advice suddenly changed – between 12 weeks and your challenge date – and then we would be in touch at the earliest convenience).
UK Challenges
If for any reason we don’t feel that your challenge can proceed we will make a decision approximately 8 weeks prior to your challenge (the only exception to this would be if the Government advice suddenly changed – between 8 weeks and your challenge date – and then we would be in touch at the earliest convenience).
3. Spread the cost of booking a challenge over 2 months
For most international trips, you can book and pay your registration fee in two instalments. You pay the first instalment at the time of booking and we will automatically take the second instalment from the same credit or debit card 31 days later. When paying your registration fee in instalments, a £10 admin fee will be added to your first registration fee payment. Please note that your booking will not be processed (and we will not send an authorisation request to your charity) until we receive the payment for the second instalment. Your place on the challenge will only be held for 31 days from your initial booking. If we are unable to take your second instalment, your booking will be cancelled, and normal cancellation terms will apply. Please see our terms and conditions. (Please note that if you take part in one of our promotions, i.e Black Friday, or New Year Sale, you are unable to spread the cost of booking a challenge over 2 months)
4. What if I postpone the challenge and then the later postponed trip is also affected and cannot run due to Covid-19?
Even if you move on to another challenge later in the year or next year, if we still find ourselves in a position where we cannot operate the challenge due to Covid-19, we will offer you the same options as above, to postpone, to change trips, to transfer your place to someone else or to receive a refund.
5. Can Charity Challenge help me with my fundraising deadline?
As standard, you should send 80% of your minimum sponsorship target to the charity 10 weeks before an international challenge, and 7 weeks before a UK challenge.
However, your chosen charity may be able offer you some flexibility over this either with the % due, or the number of weeks before departure. We therefore recommend that you speak directly to your specific charity. In most cases charities have been extremely understanding of the difficulties around fundraising during the pandemic and have therefore been willing to move their fundraising deadlines in order to support you to take part in the challenge.
6. What safety measures will Charity Challenge have in place to enable overseas challenges to take place safely?
Since May this year, we have operated many of our UK challenges with a range of procedures in place to comply with regulations and guidance and provide a safe environment in which to complete challenges. We were able to do this by vigilantly following a variety of government, local authority and national governing bodies guidelines. We used these guidelines to produce our own ‘Covid Safe’ safety management that all of our events needed to adhere to.
All of our leaders and crew were given online training to understand and carry out these guidelines. We produced a ‘COVID 19 – Keeping you Safe ’ document that was sent to everyone participating on a challenge.
We are already working with our teams overseas to put in place a number of ‘Covid safe’ systems so that our international challenges can get up and running as soon as it is safe to do so. If it is necessary then this will include things like providing single rooms or tents to all participants, increasing space on vehicles used for transfers and providing facemasks and hand sanitiser at all stages of the challenge. Once we have a greater understanding of what will be required in each destination we will make sure that everyone booked onto an overseas challenge is informed of what measures are being put in place to keep you safe.
We have worked incredibly hard to keep everyone taking part on a UK challenge safe. We produced online safety briefing videos for participants to watch before arriving at the challenge, provided single rooms for everyone when accommodation was required, put on extra buses to enable social distancing to take place on all transfers, and provided bottles of hand sanitiser, facemasks and buffs for everyone taking part on a challenge. We will continue to
make sure that your safety is at the centre of every decision we make when it comes to operating our challenges.
7. Is there any travel insurance that provides any kind of cover for Covid-19?
Our travel insurance partners at Campbell Irvine have launched a policy which includes Medical Expenses and Cancellation cover for Covid-19. This is a vital piece of cover for any intended overseas trip, so please do read this information carefully.
Travel Insurance Cover
- Medical emergency treatment overseas and medical repatriation if you are diagnosed with Covid-19.
- Cancellation cover to reimburse you for any irrecoverable payments and charges made for travel and accommodation if you have to cancel your trip due to a doctor diagnosing either you, a close relative or your travelling companion with Covid-19 and as a result being advised not to travel.
- Cancellation due to either you or your travelling companion’s direct exposure to a close relative being diagnosed with Covid-19 resulting in an order via the NHS Test and Trace programme for you to be medically quarantined and not being able to travel.
- Cancellation or Curtailment cover due to denied boarding of public transport if displaying symptoms of Covid-19.
Like all insurance policies, there are specific exclusions, so please read all of the detail before purchasing. For further information on the updated Campbell Irvine Direct travel insurance policy including Covid-19 cover, please see:
- FAQ’s relating to the new Covid-19 policy cover
- Specimen Policy Wording
- Insurance Product Information Document (IPID Summary)
- Click here to get a quote or buy a policy
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the team at Campbell Irvine. 020 7938 1734. info@campbellirvine.com. www.campbellirvinedirect.com
8. What financial security do Charity Challenge provide?
We provide financial security for flight-inclusive packages by way of our Air Travel Organiser’s Licence (number 6546), issued by the Civil Aviation Authority. When you buy an ATOL protected flight-inclusive challenge from us you will receive an ATOL Certificate in your account area. This lists what is financially protected, where you can get information on what this means for you and who to contact if things go wrong. For further information, visit the ATOL website at www.atol.org.uk.
Not all challenge or travel services offered and sold by us will be protected by the ATOL Scheme. ATOL protection extends primarily to customers who book flight inclusive packages originating in the United Kingdom. We also provide full financial protection for any challenges that are packages but DO NOT include flights (and where you are joining from a European country), by way of an insurance policy held with International Passenger Protection Limited and underwritten by Insurers who are members of the Association of British Insurers & Lloyds Syndicates. For further information please go to www.ipplondon.co.uk.
Covid -19 : Frequently Asked Questions
We understand that all the changes in the current environment can be extremely overwhelming and may leave you with many questions as we all adapt to the new way of being. To hopefully ease some of your concerns we have pulled together some FAQ’s around Covid-19.
Oversea’s Challenges Covid-19 FAQ’s
We hope the above information provides some support, but if you have any further questions please do not hesitate to get in touch. challenges@charitychallenge.com +44 (0)20 8346 0500
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