Inspiration

MEET THE TEAM – ANDY BAKER

July 14, 2023

At Charity Challenge we are extremely proud of the amazing crew we have. We know it can be a little daunting joining a challenge for the first time so we thought you might like to meet the team in advance of your Charity Challenge. Today we introduce you to our Head of UK Events – Andy Baker

Andy Baker

Name

Andy Baker

How long have you been part of the Charity Challenge team?

Too long! 🙂 It will be 10 years at the end of this year. I have been promised a prize!

What’s your role at Charity Challenge?

Head of UK Events

Tell us a little bit about your background and what you did before joining Charity Challenge?

I worked over in Egypt setting up an EU funded trekking company with local Bedouin. It was great craic, and the Sinai mountains are still my favourite place to go trekking.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

The winter months when I have no UK challenges taking place! But other than that, I love the sense of being part of such a great team of office staff and leaders. It’s a lovely environment to work in.

What advice would you give someone who is looking to do a Charity Challenge?

Blister management! Buy yourself a roll of K-Tape and learn how to tape up your feet to avoid blisters.

What’s been your favourite charity challenge (so far)?

I still have a real fondness for the MIND hikes that we used to organise. It was our first venture into doing bespoke itineraries, and some were more successful than others! I loved leading on our Greenland trek a few years ago. Being helicoptered into the wilderness to start the trek was very cool.

Do you have any challenges left on your bucket list?

A few more things in South America, maybe. I’m always pretty jealous when I appoint leaders to go to Patagonia. But there is no chance my wife would ever allow it so I’ll keep my ambitious more modest. I’d like to get our Isle of Skye Challenge running.

What three things can’t you live without?

Coffee. My copy of Sign O’the Times by Prince. My daughter. Probably in that order.

Tell us an interesting fact about yourself…

I once spent an entire day being escorted around the Congolese town of Goma by an armed group of local people (one of whom was carrying a bazooka) as they helped me search for some Um-Bongo to drink. I had asked them whether it was true when the TV ad had said “Um-Bongo, Um-Bongo, they drink it in the Congo”. At the end of the day one of the men turned to me and very sadly said, “I don’t think it’s true!”

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Challenges

5 REASONS TO TAKE ON THE GREAT WALL DISCOVERY TREK, CHINA

June 28, 2023

The Great Wall Discovery Trek is back and it is one of our top life-changing challenges, according to so many who have taken on the challenge! In agreement with this, is many of our Challenge Leaders who are beyond excited that China is back on and ready for you to take on the challengeing five day trek on the Great Wall.

Jo Warren is the Operations Manager for this challenge, has previously led five groups on the wall and is joining our October departure. She has endless reasons why you need to take on this challenge, but has tried to narrow it down (…very difficult!) to the TOP FIVE.

Check them out…

1. The best journey you have ever taken…

The Great Wall Discovery is a fantastic first time, second time or tenth time challenge. Whether you have travelled independently before or not, been to Asia before or not, taken on a Charity Challenge before or not, this five day challenge will take each trekker on a very special journey that they will remember for the rest of their lives. From arriving into Beijing , checking into your first family run lodge to trekking through villages, farmland and onto the steep, stony and sometimes narrow paths of the Great Wall that wind their way through the mountains, you will experience a week of absolute highs and of course sometimes a few lows! The first time you look up at the many steps ahead of you to climb to that watchtower, to discovering the encouraging words of the Chinese guides or the friendly hand of a team mate to help you make your way to the top! The feeling of elation when you stand at the top of each tower and look back to where you have come from and look forward to the many winding miles of the wall in front of you in all its glory! Trekking the Great Wall is an iconic experience that will leave you with life long memories.

“A trek to remind us that it is very much about the journey and not the destination”  (Former Great Wall Discovery Trekker)

2. One of the Seven Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site

As the largest man-made structure in the world, the Great Wall of China is one of the most iconic and popular heritage sites anywhere! Believe me when I say looking at a postcard of the wall, will never capture its absolute magnificence. You just have to be there to see and feel it! The Great Wall is more than 21,000km long (according to the National Cultural Heritage Administration) and the most part built during the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644), I say for the most part (in fact approx., 8,850km of it) as there were several dynasties before and after that played a part. Rack your brain around those figures! Your Chinese guides will have a wealth of knowledge and will be able to help you visualise the construction of this impressive structure and the length of its history.

      “I felt like I was on the top of the world when we climbed the highest point of the trek on our last day. The views were amazing and I truly felt like I have fulfilled my challenge and my dream!” (Former Great Wall Discovery Trekker)

3. The guides

I may be biased but we have just the BEST team of trekking guides. You will be met at the airport by the local Chinese Guides with big smiles and excitement to show you their China. They just LOVE to Trek and chat, share their knowledge, their childhood stories, with a joke or two thrown in.  They will guide you every step of the way but will also become a very dear friend with a helping hand whenever you need it. Follow their pace and each and every footstep they take and you will achieve every watchtower, every step, every km. My oldest and dearest memories of the wall is watching the guides zigzag their way down the many steep sections of the wall. This looks like it would take longer but as they explained, why put unnecessary impact on your knees when you can trek smarter. Not to mention trekking poles are a game changer.

 “A life changing experience. Well worth all the hard work and an amazing feeling to have completed the challenge.” (Former Great Wall Discovery Trekker)

4. A sense of achievement

The best bit about this challenge is every step of the way you have that sense of achievement. You don’t have to wait until you reach that summit or finish that 50km mark etc. From your very first rest stop you can look back and see how far you have come. Every day is different! If you have in mind that you will be walking those picture perfect, nicely laid blocks of the wall then I have news for you! Parts of the wall are maintained, parts are … lets say a little more warn out! We will take you on a mix of both, spice it up with a village or two, some countryside, farmland, meet some locals etc. at the end of each day you feel you have achieved a very varied day! Not to mention all the other factors of a challenge, trying new food, meeting new friends. Which brings me onto number 5!

“A truly incredible challenge! Breath-taking views and unimaginable landscapes that you get to walk through. A challenge where every day is different from the last, and you can really feel a sense of achievement looking back at where you came from. Everyone will wish they could have gone with you!”(Former Great Wall Discovery Trekker)

5. Life-changing!

Picture this, Meeting a group of strangers at the airport for the very first time. All with one thing in common – no one knows what lies ahead. Now picture the end of the first day! A tough but exhilarating, long but rewarding day , legs sore from climbing all those steps but knowing everyone with you is in the same boat. Your day ends with friendly faces from the lodge owners, some culture and discussion from  the guides and a table full of delicious food with new friends. A week full of ups and downs (literally, with over 10,000 steps), The Great Wall Discovery Trek will bring you friends for life, a lifetime of memories and I guarantee after this challenge you will be hooked and ready to sign up for the next one!

 “ An amazing week of challenges that uplifted my soul” (Former Great Wall Discovery Trekker)

If you are interested in joining us in China for your next challenge click on the link below for more details :

Great Wall Discovery 2023 & 2024 dates

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Photo credit : Philip Ammon

Inspiration

MEET THE TEAM – SIMON ALBERT

June 5, 2023

At Charity Challenge we are extremely proud of the amazing crew we have. We know it can be a little daunting joining a challenge for the first time so we thought you might like to meet the team in advance of your Charity Challenge. Today we introduce you to our Director – Simon Albert

Name

Simon Albert

How long have you been part of the Charity Challenge team?

Since its foundation in 1999.

What’s your role at Charity Challenge?

Being the founder and Managing Director, I get involved all over the business, but primarily I set the vision and goals for the business and specifically I work on business development.

Tell us a little bit about your background and what you did before joining Charity Challenge?

I was a Graduate Trainee at Nestle working in the marketing team on Nescafe coffee. During my time there I took on personal challenges to raise funds for charity in Jordan and Kilimanjaro, where I developed a passion for travel, and for helping others, and then organised and led a few trips voluntarily to Tanzania, Cuba and Zimbabwe before realising this was something I wanted to do with my life.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

I have worked in Charity Challenge for 24 years now, since its inception and I can honestly say that I am as passionate now (in fact probably more so) than at any time during the life of the business. The last few years of covid have been incredibly tough on the business and me as the owner, with a heavy feeling of responsible for the people who work for the business in the UK, for our leaders and support teams around the world. But now that we have emerged from the lockdowns and grounded international travel, the business is growing fast and we are building back up with a great team of people and getting back to what we do best… providing life changing challenges, inspiring people to believe in themselves and to achieve incredible physical goals, all whilst raising millions of pounds for good causes. I’m loving it!

What advice would you give someone who is looking to do a Charity Challenge?

Make sure you are pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, but be realistic. Read the Trip Notes with all of the necessary detail and allow yourself time to improve your fitness and raise the funds for your cause. If you can, choose to raise funds for a cause you are personally passionate about as it will inspire you in all aspects of the process (fitness training, fundraising, and the challenge itself). BELIEVE in yourself. We will give you all of the support and encouragement to ACHIEVE your goals and INSPIRE your friends and family.

What’s been your favourite charity challenge (so far)?

I have been incredibly lucky to take on a number of challenges around the world over the years, including with my three sons, Benji, Gadi and Nathan, who are all teenagers now and who (thankfully) love nature and adventure. But the best for me in the last few years was the Trek to Petra in Jordan last year, for a number of reasons. My wife, Lianne, came with and we celebrated her 50th birthday in the desert. It was also the first time in 20 years that we had taken on a Charity Challenge together, since we started a family. So for me, having Lianne come on the challenge and walk with participants, many of whom had done 5, 6 or 7 challenges with the company, made me especially proud! And then of course there’s the Roman ruin in Amman, the Dead Sea, five days of incredible scenery and Bedouin hospitality, and all topped off with a visit to Petra, the ancient Nabatean city, over 2000 years old, and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Modern Wonder of the World.    

Do you have any challenges left on your bucket list?

For sure. The world is a big place and there’s lots to do that I haven’t had the chance to. Just this year I went on our Dog Sledding challenge in Lapland, and discovered a new activity, the Northern Lights, and living within the Arctic Circle. So yes, there are lots more on my bucket list. Some I probably haven’t yet considered, and many I have been hearing about over the years from returning participants (Dalai Lama Himalayan Trek, Everest Base Camp, Winter Mount Toubkal to name a few)

What three things can’t you live without?

My family, nature, and new adventures/experiences.

Tell us an interesting fact about yourself…

On my previous adventures over the years (outside of Charity Challenge I should add), I have experienced a crocodile attack in Nepal, a near miss with tiger sharks in Australia (whilst bleeding in the water), an earthquake in Egypt, flash floods in Tanzania and a rather serious bike crash in France.

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Challenges

Dog Sledding Challenge with Simon Albert, Charity Challenge Director

June 5, 2023

Charity Challenge Director, Simon Albert, shares his latest experience on the Dog Sledding Challenge, Sweden.

In March I returned from the most incredible week of dog sledding in the Arctic, in minus 30 degrees Celsius. I was travelling with a great team of nine Geordies, who were raising money for a homeless charity, and who filled the week with humour and laughter.

We saw moose, reindeer and Arctic hares, and each had the task of working with a team of 3 or 4 powerful huskies to sled through the Arctic wilderness. We learnt about the indigenous people, the Sami, and stayed one night in a Sami tee pee sleeping in minus 15 degrees. Lunches were cooked on an open fire, and in the evenings, after a plate of moose stew, we lay on the frozen lake on reindeer skins, watching the stars above including the odd shooting star.

But to cap it all, we watched streaks of green in the sky one evening and out of nowhere, a light show began that left us in complete awe. It’s hard to put into words, and even the photos and videos don’t really do it justice, but the entire sky lit up and danced magically in an array of colours, back and forth. It was like something out of Avatar, created in someone’s imagination purely to blow your mind. I shall never forget that moment!

Each day, the dog sledding got a little more challenging, in distance and terrain, as we honed our mushing skills. The final day saw most of us struggle to stay upright on the sled, as we fell into four feet of snow to the side of the trail.  

I’ve been privileged to have taken on many of our challenges over the years, and this really has to rank as one of the best! It’s totally different to anything I have done before, in so many ways, and I ticked a number of things off of my bucket list, but it was nothing like I had imagined. The truth is, I really didn’t know what to imagine.

It’s true that the dogs do most of the physical exercise on this challenge, pulling you along on your sled, through the snowy Lapland terrain, but don’t under-estimate the nature of the challenge for participants.

It’s an incredibly inhospitable environment. Firstly because the outside temperature is consistently between minus 15 and minus 30 degrees. It can drop 10 or 15 degrees in an hour. For the dogs, their comfort temperature is minus 15. For our entire group, we were well outside of our comfort zone! It’s so cold at times that with each intake of breath through my nose, I could feel the hairs in my nostrils freezing. The dogs would urinate against the trees, and it would freeze to an icicle before reaching the ground.

Then there’s living with minimal home comforts. You are staying overnight in a wilderness cabin in the woods, on an island, next to a frozen lake, 5kms from the nearest neighbours. It’s a stunning setting, but there is no electricity, no running water and the toilet is an outside long drop toilet in a hut. For water, you need to head to the lake and with an axe and a 4 foot drill, to get through 60cms of ice to reach the water below. The water then needs to be carried back to the cabin.

With the freezing temperatures, comes the needs to dress appropriately. From thermal underwear, to fleece lined trousers and a fleece and jumper and coat on top, with a thick snow suit over the top of everything from head to toe. Then thick woollen socks, heavy snow boots, gloves and mittens on your hands, a scarf, buff, and balaclava on your head. It makes moving around difficult and energy sapping. Just harnessing the dogs for 20mins leaves you sweating, and when sledding uphill, you have to jump off the sled and hold on whilst running alongside or behind, to support the dogs. The distances aren’t huge but the physicality for short bursts can be very demanding.

And finally, there’s the actual activity of dog sledding. Like most people, I didn’t know what to expect, but assumed my main challenge would be to hold on to the sled as the dogs manoeuvred through the Arctic wilderness. Well, that’s certainly one element to the challenge but there’s so much more.    

Each day the terrain got slightly more challenging, taking bends and corners, or where the ground is either angled leaning to the left or the right, so a good sense of balance is required. The dogs are incredibly powerful and when they pull off from a starting position, you need to use your strength to hold on. There’s no first gear, second gear, they go from nothing to full power instantly! You need to break with your left foot, right foot, both feet, soft break, hard break, lean to keep upright when moving over uneven terrain, and keep the right speed. Too fast means you will run into the sled in front, or the dogs will try and run around the team in front, meaning they run off the path which could be 4 feet deep in snow! Breaking too late if you’re not paying attention could mean the sled runs in to the back of your dogs as when they stop, as the sled will keep going unless you control it.

You can’t switch off your focus for even a second and that’s particularly challenging.

It really was an incredible experience, one I will never forget, and one I would whole heartedly recommend to anyone with a sense of adventure, and full acceptance of the Arctic conditions, and all that it entails.  

I have so much respect for Kent and Jordana who operate the challenge in Lapland, for living in such a hostile environment whilst bringing up their young family, for operating an incredible business, and all whilst caring passionately for 91 dogs!

For more information, go to https://www.charitychallenge.com/expedition/3736/Dog-Sledding-Challenge

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Inspiration

MEET THE TEAM – John Allen

May 18, 2023

At Charity Challenge we are extremely proud of the amazing crew we have. We know it can be a little daunting joining a challenge for the first time so we thought you might like to meet the team in advance of your Charity Challenge. Today we introduce you to Challenge Leader – John Allen

Name

John Allen

How long have you been a Challenge Leader?

2023 will be my 7th year working for Charity Challenge.

What’s been your favourite challenge (so far)?

It would probably have to be Everest Base Camp. There is something about the Himalayas that has to be personally experienced rather than seen through a screen.

Do you have any challenges left on your bucket list?

To complete a challenge as a participant, rather than the leader!

How do you keep your body in tip top shape for the challenge season?

In the winter season I install bathrooms. Climbing thousands of stairs with heavy loads keeps me surprisingly fit!

What are your go to snacks to keep you fuelled and hydrated on a challenge?

I quite like dried mango. It’s a taste of sunshine, which is nice when the rain is lashing down!  Just plain water for me as it can be used for more than just drinking. Try washing your hands or cleaning a wound with a sports drink!

Any top tips to share with participants signed up to a challenge?

Spend some time before hand walking uphill, preferably with your packed rucksack on – if you have no hills near you, stairs in high rise buildings work just as well.

What 5 items do you always pack in your day rucksack?

A windproof top, a Buff, a large bag of Colin the Caterpillars’ (vegan), some sunscreen and a tick remover!

What is the best thing about being a leader?

Learning about the lives of the wonderfully varied people who sign up to complete a challenge and their reasons for doing so. The shared life experiences and stories of all those participants has enhanced my life immeasurably.

What is your proudest achievement to date?

Qualifying as a Mountain Leader at 46 years young. It was the first ‘exam’ I ever fully passed and has given me more opportunities and experiences than I could have ever dreamed were possible.

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Inspiration

MEET THE TEAM – Danny Barden

April 19, 2023

At Charity Challenge we are extremely proud of the amazing crew we have. We know it can be a little daunting joining a challenge for the first time so we thought you might like to meet the team in advance of your Charity Challenge. Today we introduce you to Challenge Leader – Danny Barden

Name

Danny Barden

How long have you been a Challenge Leader?

8 years

What’s been your favourite challenge (so far)?

Great Wall Discovery, China

Do you have any challenges left on your bucket list?

Too many to list them all here (!) but top of the list would be anything with mountains: Simien Mountain Trek, Kyrgyzstan Trek and of course Everest Base Camp trek.

How do you keep your body in tip top shape for the challenge season?

Once the festive season is well and truly over it’s back to keeping an eye on the calories and getting out into the mountains at least once a week.

What are your go to snacks to keep you fuelled and hydrated on a challenge?

Nakd bars and a dark chocolate, honey roast peanut and dried mango pieces trail mix.

Any top tips to share with participants signed up to a challenge?

The higher and longer the hill training you can fit in before you head off on your challenge the better prepared you’ll be; get yourself a pair of walking poles and learn how to use them for best effect; similarly, get yourself a hydration bladder and get used to using it.

What 5 items do you always pack in your day rucksack?

Apart from food, water & waterproofs: spare gloves, an extra warm layer, head torch, first aid kit, and a bag of ‘morale-raising’ vegan friendly jelly babies.

What is the best thing about being a leader?

Getting to help people achieve their goals while often being well outside their comfort zones.

What is your proudest achievement to date?

Receiving feedback from challenge participants about how my support, encouragement and advice helped them to keep taking the next step towards their goal.

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