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Challenges

IS 2023 THE YEAR YOU SIGN UP TO A UK CHALLENGE?

May 9, 2022

Can you see yourself trekking under the starry skies of Snowdonia in order to reach the summit of Snowdon?

Or taking on the three highest peaks in England, Scotland and Wales in just 24hrs?

Or maybe being one of the first challengers to sign up to our new 4-day trekking challenge on the spectacular Isle of Skye?

Charity Challenge are very pleased to announce the launch of our 2023 UK Challenges.

VIEW ALL 2023 UK CHALLENGES

Discover some of the most spectacular National Parks, UNESCO World Heritage Sites and cities that the UK has to offer and make 2023 the year you raise money for a worthwhile cause, close to your heart. What challenge will you choose?

NEW FOR 2023

Isle of Skye Challenge, Scotland

Four days of trekking on the Isle of Skye’s iconic ridges, glens and coast to discover the spectacular hidden corners of the captivating ‘Misty Isle’.

TREK CHALLENGES

National Three Peaks Challenge, UK

Take on the three highest peaks in England, Scotland and Wales. Considered one of Britain’s toughest outdoor challenges, the National Three Peaks Challenge takes in the dizzy heights of Ben Nevis (1,344m), Scafell Pike (978m) and Snowdon (1,085m) over 42kms in just 24hrs.

Lake District 5 Peaks Challenge, UK

Prepare for an epic 22km trek through the rugged and dramatic landscape of the Lake District, as you tackle five of England’s most demanding peaks, including its highest – Scafell Pike (978m).

VIEW ALL TREK CHALLENGES

MULTI-ACTIVITY CHALLENGES

Lake District Triple Challenge, England

Trek to the summit of one of the Lake District’s most iconic peaks, the Old Man of Coniston (803m), before testing yourself on the off-road mountain bike trails of Grizedale Forest, then kayak across the iconic Coniston Water.

Snowdon Triple Challenge, Wales

Pit yourself against the spectacular landscape of Snowdonia National Park in this tough and exciting multi-activity challenge. You’ll summit the mighty Snowdon (1,085m) as well as tackling challenging biking and kayaking sections all the while surrounded by this stunning part of Wales.

VIEW ALL TRIPLE CHALLENGES

URBAN CHALLENGES

L ondon Royal Parks Challenge, England

Challenge yourself to this marathon distance trek between the ten London Royal Park’s. This epic 42km route will take you across historic parkland and beautiful green spaces, while passing some of the finest architecture in London.

Edinburgh 7 Summits Challenge, Scotland

Take part in this tough 35km urban challenge set in the heart of Edinburgh. Experience hidden routes through this beautiful Scottish city and experience it from seven incredible viewpoints! You’ll follow historic waterways, forgotten railways, stop off at castles and palaces and climb to the summit of Arthurs Seat – an extinct volcano!

VIEW ALL URBAN CHALLENGES

AT NIGHT CHALLENGES

Snowdon at Night, Wales

Beginning in the town of Llanberis, in the heart of the Snowdonia National Park, this spectacular challenge will see you and fellow fundraisers trekking to the top of Snowdon (1085m) … at night! Trek under the starry skies of Snowdonia in order to reach the summit of the highest mountain in Wales.

Yorkshire 3 Peaks at Night, England

Challenge yourself to complete this classic UK trekking challenge, but with a twist! It’s a 38km trek at night to summit the Yorkshire Three Peaks – Ingleborough, Whernside and Pen Y Ghent. Start as the sun sets and aim to reach the final peak as the sun begins to rise.

VIEW ALL AT NIGHT CHALLENGES

SNOW & ICE CHALLENGES

Winter Ben Nevis Weekend, Scotland

An incredible challenge to summit the UK’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis (1344m), in winter! Learn key winter skills, including the use of crampons and ice axes, and then put them to good use to reach the summit where you can enjoy the spectacular views of the Scottish Highlands covered in snow.

Can’t wait until 2023 to start your Charity Challenge journey? Don’t worry, you still have time to sign up to a last minute 2022 Challenge!

Inspiration

MEET THE TEAM – Ian Morton

April 19, 2022

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 – Ian Morton

Name

Ian Morton

How long have you been a Challenge Leader?

2022 will be my ninth season as a Challenge Leader for Charity Challenge

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

The Ancascocha Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru

Do you have any challenges left on your bucket list?

Everest Base Camp and Trek to Petra (In just over two weeks I shall finally be flying out to Amman to lead this amazing challenge for real – not once but twice! It’s been a long time coming and I can’t wait to get started!

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

You have seen me right? My body is a temple (ruined and rarely visited!). But in Winter I do occasionally hit the treadmill – otherwise, well, just hill walking whenever I can really.

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

Lots of water, Babybels and Tunnocks Bars…

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

Remember these are team events – and the more you put into the team, the more you get out of it
The better your preparation, the more you will enjoy your challenge – keep that training going!
Bring a sense of humour, patience and a flexible attitude – enjoy and appreciate your challenge – even if things don’t go to plan!
If it’s one of my trips, bring Tunnocks bars… 🙂

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

Map/Compass, spare warm layer, drinking water, waterproofs, Tunnocks bars…

What is the best thing about being a leader?

Getting to explore so many incredible places with great people and seeing them achieve things they often don’t realise they are capable of.

What is your proudest achievement to date?

Career-wise? I feel the same sense of pride whenever a team achieves success on a challenge.

Tips & Advice

Spring Fundraising Ideas

March 22, 2022

With the start of Spring on Sunday the 20th of March the opportunities for new fundraising ideas begin to bloom. The sun is starting to shine and the days are becoming longer – the perfect time to kick start your fundraising! There are lots of amazing awareness days and holidays coming up over the next couple of months that you can piggy back your fundraising efforts on.

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

National Walking Month
Stroke Awareness Month
2nd – 8th : National Gardening Week
10th – 15th : Mental Health Awareness Week
16th – 22nd : Dementia Awareness Week

JUNE

We have pulled together a few of our favourite fundraising ideas for this spring…

National Walking Month

May is National Walking Month and it’s the perfect opportunity to get outside, start moving and raise much needed funds for some worthwhile causes. Plus, it is also the best time of year to see bluebells so make sure you put on those walking boots and get outside!

Fundraising ideas :

WALKATHON – You, your friends, one day, 26 miles. Pick a route and get going! Ask your mates to sponsor you per mile.
TRY20 – Do the #try20 challenge and aim to walk 20 minutes every day for the whole month – ask your friends and colleagues to sponsor you.
10,000 STEPS – Get active this spring and take 10,000 steps a day for 30 days. Use your smart phone or watch to keep an eye on your progress. Ask you mates to sponsor your efforts.
DOG WALKING – Offer to walk your neighbours and friends’ dogs in return for a donation.

Easter

Easter Sunday this year falls on the 17th of April and it is a cracking time to fundraise! Easter Egg Decorating. Easter bake-offs. Egg and spoon races. Easter flower arrangements. You can even fill a jar with mini eggs, get people to guess how many are in there and ask them to donate. The person with the closest guess wins the jar or a prize (ask local businesses to donate something).

Easter Egg hunts are also a classic spring time fundraiser, ensure you follow the latest set of guidelines from the government. If your garden is big enough invite everyone round for the hunt in return for a donation. Alternatively, you could speak to local parks and gardens and see if they would support your event and allow it on their property – but do ask first!

Earth Day

The theme for Earth day on the 22nd of April is “Invest in our Planet”. What a perfect opportunity to join the world’s largest environmental movement and run a fundraising event that can support our local communities and focus on areas that are affected by environmental issues.

Fundraising ideas:

TREE PLANTING – Plant new trees and plants in your local community. Get volunteers to join you as planters. Accept donations of seedlings and other plantable items, ideally native plants. If you plant on public property, such as in a park, be sure to get permission from local authorities.
PLOGGING / RUBBISH WALK – Set yourself a jogging or walking challenge combined with picking up litter. This will have a positive impact on our environment and our bodies – in other words, it’s an earth-friendly way to get fit.
CLEANUP DAY – Each volunteer gets a roll of rubbish bags, a pair of gloves, and a shovel or rubbish pick, and performs a walking clean-up of a designated area. If you are going on public property, such as in a park, be sure to get permission from local authorities.
PLANT A COMMUNITY GARDEN – A community garden can bring a wide range of benefits – from connecting people with each other to growing fresh food to enjoy. Check out the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) website for tips on how to get this up and running.

Queen’s Platinum Jubliee Party

On 6th February this year Her Majesty The Queen became the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years of service to the people of the United Kingdom, the Realms and the Commonwealth. To celebrate this unprecedented anniversary, events and initiatives will take place throughout the year, culminating in a four day UK bank holiday weekend from Thursday 2nd to Sunday 5th June. On Sunday the 5th of June people are invited to share friendship, food and fun with neighbours as part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. A Big Jubilee Lunch can be big or small – street party or picnic, tea and cake or a garden barbeque.

Provide food, drinks and entertainment in exchange for donations. The opportunities with this are event are endless! Ask a live band to provide music (lots of new musicians also emerging from lockdown!). Serve food and drinks donated by local restaurants and cafes. Ask local businesses to donate prizes for a raffle, auction or tombola on the big day. Set up a selfie station. Hold a cake sale. Set up a face painting stand. Play garden games…

Sell tickets prior to the event so you know how much stock is required and how many people will be attending your fundraising event.

Spring Clean

It is officially the start of Spring so there is no better time to have a clear out! With spring cleaning comes an excellent opportunity for online and in-person car boot sales to raise money for your good cause. Create an event page on a neighborhood site, such as Nextdoor, and invite your community to donate and/or buy items.

If you wish to sell online there are a variety of platforms that you can use such as Ebay, Amazon Marketplace, Gumtree, Facebook Marketplace, and Shopify. Please ensure that you clean and disinfect everything before passing them on. Don’t forget to share your listings on social media to help increase awareness of your fundraising events.

Inspiration

MEET THE TEAM – PENNY KNIGHT

March 18, 2022

Name

Penny Knight

How long have you been a Challenge Leader?

I’ve been a leader with Charity Challenge for over 11 years now. I started in 2011 when I volunteered to assist with a very large group from Barclays Bank raising money for Elise for Life on the Great Wall Discovery Challenge. Just before the trek, the Challenge Leader was injured and I then had to step up and take the lead. That was the start of what I consider to be the most rewarding dream job of my life!

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

The Sumatra Jungle Challenge holds a special place for me. I love the humid climate, the fun-loving local guides, the wild green lush plants, the exciting array of wildlife, the spicy food and the opportunity to immerse yourself in nature. It’s raw and real, basic and brilliant.

Do you have any challenges left on your bucket list?

There are so many challenges left on the bucket list and there’s nothing I enjoy more than looking through the Charity Challenge website and making a note of them. To mention but a few – the Simien Mountains of Ethiopia, Zambezi River Challenge, Trek Angkor Wat, Trek to Machu Picchu (still to be visited!) Costa Rica Coast to Coast Challenge, Kyrgyzstan Trek, and the Amazon Survivor Challenge . Writing this from Sri Lanka, I’ve just looked at the Sri Lanka Cycle Challenge – what a fantastic itinerary that is!!

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

To keep fit and ready for the next challenge, I enjoy walking in the Yorkshire Dales, love fell running especially early in the morning and do regular weights, circuits and yoga.

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

My go to snacks are flapjacks and salted peanuts – tasty, cheap and packed with calories!

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

My advice would be to embrace every opportunity that comes your way – on a challenge, talk to everyone, stop and hold every moment, smell, breathe deep, listen and see every detail – each child’s face, the fruits on the stalls, the shadows on the hills. It’ll definitely all go too fast.

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

In my day sack, there’ll always be a Nivea lip balm, some tiger balm (it solves everything!) my water bladder, a whistle and my loo bag (which I can grab easily if on a bike, running or trekking – it’ll have biodegradable wet wipes, tissues and nappy sacks so no rubbish is left behind.)

What is the best thing about being a leader?

The best thing about being a leader is witnessing the success of the participants. The reward of being a part of their dreams, excitement, friendships and achievements cannot be surpassed.

What is your proudest achievement to date?

My proudest achievement to date is so difficult to pinpoint. I think it would simply be that I’m proud of the fact that I might have helped to inspire some people to achieve more than they thought they could, either during a challenge or following it.

Inspiration

WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP THE PEOPLE OF UKRAINE?

March 2, 2022

It’s good to see how a lot of small gestures can add up and have a big impact.

Banning Russia from the Eurovision Song Contest will not on its own change the conflict, but when coupled with hundreds of other similar gestures and initiatives, it can and will make a huge difference.

Being embedded in the charity sector, we have come across a number of our charity partner’s campaigns that are helping to support the people of Ukraine.

For example, we know from other conflicts, that armed violence is the number one driver of hunger. With war comes displacement, disruptions to local supply chains, little to no income, and soaring fuel and food prices. Families are driven into poverty and struggle to access food and basic needs. It is estimated that at least 2.9 million people in Ukraine will need humanitarian assistance in 2022.

If you wish to support the people of Ukraine, here are some ways you can:

? Action Against Hunger UK, have launched an emergency appeal to support the Ukrainian families affected by the conflict to make sure they have access to the help they need.

? British Red Cross, has launched an appeal to help the Ukrainian Red Cross to provide food, medicine, clothing and shelter, as well as first aid training in bomb shelters and, in the last few days, 15,000 litres of drinking water to villages in eastern Ukraine.

? UNHCR, the UN Ref ugee Agency, is funding emergency shelters, repairs for homes damaged by shelling, emergency cash assistance, psychological support and warm clothing.

? UNICEF, the UN’s children’s charity, is helping to ensure families have clean water and food and that child health and protection services continue.

? Save the Childr en UK, is providing cash assistance, food and other support to refugees crossing into Romanian and Lithuania, as well as in Ukraine itself.

Challenges

CELEBRATE 2022 WITH THE RETURN OF OVERSEAS CHALLENGES!

February 25, 2022

We are delighted to have restarted our overseas challenges again for the first time in almost two years! We have had a number of successful challenges already return from Tanzania and Sweden and others about to depart to Nepal, Peru, Argentina and Morocco.

We are constantly reviewing relevant guidance, and advice from local and international government authorities, about necessary travel requirements. For the the latest travel advisory update please click here.

Now that we have been given the green light on overseas travel, our 2022 dates have started to book up fast!

How are you planning to spend your year?

MAY

Trek to Petra, 7 May 2022
Discover the ancient ‘rose city’ of Petra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site on this 5-day trek along a breath-taking section of the Jordan Trail. Sign up before midnight 13th Mar 2022 and get £100 off the registration fee! Use the code PETRA100 when booking.