Inspiration

Great Wall Challenge 2013 – Edel’s Story ‘’I did it!! You can do ANYTHING.’’

May 2, 2013

My video to sum up the China trek starts with two words “My Journey”.

To people who don’t know me, ‘my journey’ doesn’t just simply sum up my Charity Challenge from the UK to China and trekking along the Great Wall. It means so much more than that. You see my journey, which for me culminated at the top of the “stairway to heaven”, started at the lowest point in my life to date, in so many ways.

“Life is full of CHALLENGES”

After an accident, I ended up spending a considerable length of time in a wheelchair. Until you are in that position, you never fully appreciate what you have. I now realise that before my accident I was far lazier than I should have been. I was too lazy to even walk around the corner to the shop; searching for the TV remote was just a chore! Now I found myself envious of those around me: running up stairs, nipping to the toilet, going into shops…even getting in and out of a car. These things were all a struggle, and involved immense pain. I felt frustrated and completely dependent on other people, particularly my boyfriend Matt who now felt more like my carer.

“after an accident it took surgery and physiotherapy for over a year before I could walk again”

“my biggest challenge once out of my wheelchair and onto crutches was stairs…” Continue Reading…

Challenges, Inspiration

Our Challenge Leader Penny Knight shares her experience with her Great Wall Trekkers April 2013

April 30, 2013

Before even meeting my great wall trekkers, I sensed a friendly, sociable and self motivated bunch as I approached the collection of people sprawled on the floor of Terminal 3 chatting excitedly.

As we trekked along the wall, climbing up steep ledges and clambering over broken stone steps, the real life stories started to emerge.  By the end of the trek, I realised that I had been incredibly privileged to spend such a memorable time with such an inspiring group.

Margaret, Kerri and Andy Chapman were a pleasure to spend time with, although I didn’t see much of them as they disappeared over the horizon! They had trained hard together prior to the challenge, were fit and driven, never failed to smile and effortlessly worked together as a family unit. Continue Reading…

Challenges

Dog Sledding in Sweden

April 24, 2013

After being lucky enough to join the dog sledding trip at the last minute I had no pre-conceived ideas as to what to expect, all I can say after doing it is…it was amazing!

The peace and tranquillity that you experience is second to none and the camaraderie amongst the group really made this trip a once in a lifetime experience.

After meeting the group at the airport there was the initial drama, after as one member of the group lost her passport and tickets before we even checked in! Frantically phoning the hotel to see if she had left them there the night before, she realised that she had put them in a very safe place; in the hidden compartment of her bag, of course! With two hours to spare we made the most of the last minute shopping and snack buying!

After a 2 hour flight to Stockholm, the group piled off the plane and queued up to go through the passport control, where upon Kirsty, who had previously lost her passport announced she couldn’t find it again! Drama ensued again, apart from this time it wasn’t hidden in the secret pocket! Thankfully the passport control staff and local police saved the day and were very helpful and escorted her back on to the plane where it was finally found in the pocket of the seat! Phew! It was then time for a well-deserved lunch.

Our next flight up to Kiruna, 200kms above the Arctic Circle was stress free. We were greeted by Kent and Jordana, our amazing leaders for the week, who whisked us away to our hotel in Kiruna, and after a speedy check in we headed down to the bar for our briefing and a well deserve drink. We also had to make the most of our last shower, as we would be reliant on wet wipes for the rest of the trip.

The following day we stopped off at the world famous ice hotel in Jukkasjärvi, and had a great guided tour. This hotel was the first of its kind in the world, and is re built from scratch every year using large blocks of ice cut from the Torne River, which is located next to the Ice Hotel and each block is completely unique. Artists from all over the world bid to have their designs picked for the luxury rooms which are built in their own individual style. The hotel is kept at a constant -5°C, I’m not too sure I’d want to stay there!

We then continued on to the kennels to meet our furry friends for the rest of the weeks challenge, and after a hearty lunch it was time to be kitted out in our warm weather gear and have a full safety breifing briefing on how to harness the dogs, and how to drive the sled. With Kent hurling himself on to the ground whilst being pulled along by Jordana, they finally showed us what to do if you tipped your sled over. we were hanging on his every word whilst trying not to cry with laughter, most of us failed in this task.

It was then time for us to actually put what we’d just learnt to practice, and we very slowly harnessed up all of our very excited dogs, and by the time we were finished the sound of them barking was like nothing I have ever heard before. After a final check we were off, most of us started slowly, worried about tipping over, but after about 10 minutes of getting used to the speed of the sled and figuring out how to brake, all of the worries disappeared! As far as the eye could see we were surrounded by a thick blanket of snow, which glistened in the sunshine that we were lucky enough to have all week. The pine trees popped out, to add an extra dimension to the perfect Christmassy landscape, and to top it off we occasionally had a reindeer running by…what more could you ask for.

The thing that got me the most was the complete silence, the only noises that you heard were the dogs paws pounding through the soft powder snow, the whooshing of the sled and the occasional shout if someone got distracted and fell off their sled – which happened quite a lot at the start of the trip! We got used to stopping and waiting for the person to right their sled  and then once they were up and ready and had managed to remove their snow anchor, we would trundle off again. We were only out for 25kms today which was our shortest run as we had to get back to the cabin before dark. I say cabin but what I really mean is an uninsulated traditional wooden tepee, with only a central log fire for heating. But before we could get settled in our ‘luxurious abode’ for the evening it was time to take care of the dogs. We had to unharness them, put them back in their kennels, prepare their food, clear up the poo in their kennels and then finally chop the wood for our fire that would keep us warm tonight.

We all piled into the tepee, as by this point the temperature had dropped to -25°, so it was a welcome relief to have a hot dinner waiting for us and a lit fire to warm our extremities. We all made a last minute dash for the loo which was a hut on the other side of the yard before being physically tucked into our 2 sleeping bags that we would have to use tonight. I am so glad that they provided an extra one, as I do remember waking up, I think it was with Rob’s snoring and feeling ice on my buff that was over my face for warmth. Brrrrr…

The next day after a good night sleep it was time to set off in to the wilderness and this time we weren’t coming back, well not for four days anyway! The next four days were a totally amazing experience as  we mushed over 200kms. We chopped fire wood, in fact Jamie was a demon when it came to chopping anything, however Kate did give him a run for his money when it came to chopping the dog meat. I have to say I was a pansy when it came to slopping the dog food into the bowls, so we helped each other out when there were tasks that other members of the group struggled with.

We were all gaining in confidence and even starting to run alongside our sleds to help the dogs out up the hills. I even thought it would be a good idea to hang off the back of the sled whilst trying to get a good shot of Nick’s dogs and promptly ended up face down being dragged through the snow whilst desperately trying to put the brake down. I did get the shot so it was well worth it!

Our evenings in the cabins were spent talking about what we had seen during the day and trying to outdo each other with the highlights of the day. This was until Barry came up with a corker of a story which included a flying reindeer that he had encountered. At this point we all started looking around for the illegal substances he must have taken to concoct a story like this…”a flying reindeer”, we all said in unison! The story began as Barry came around a corner, there was a reindeer standing in his path and the only place for it to go was towards him… the next thing he knew it was sitting on his sled. Sitting may have been a bit of an exaggeration but I couldn’t figure out when I came round the very same bend there was a very dazed and confused reindeer trying to figure out what had just happened! Barry was standing there, mouth ajar, also wondering what had just hit him…I think the answer in this case was a flying reindeer! Then next thing we know we are being called outside to have a look at one of the most breathtaking things I have ever seen, the natural phenomenon of the Northern lights. We had seen it the previous night, just faintly, but this was amazing and so much brighter than I had ever imagined. A real once in a life time experience. It didn’t matter that it was -25° outside – we didn’t feel the cold. I really didn’t want to go back inside but it was either that or freeze to death!

I could go on forever with other highlights – if you are sitting on the fence, what are you waiting for, sign up today! It is not the most physically demanding of our challenge portfolio but it tested me to my limits in other ways. The group of people on this trip were fabulous and it would be an absolute pleasure to travel with each and everyone of them again.

You can also find out more about the Dog Sledding Challenge by clicking here. If you have any questions on this challenge, please contact Kathryn, our Ops Manager on kathryn@charitychallenge.com. To see more information about the array of amazing challenges we have, please visit our website at www.charitychallenge.com. To keep up to date on all our challenge news, please subscribe to this blog. You can also enter your email address into the adjacent box to subscribe to our mailing list.

Tips & Advice

How to get the best out of online fundraising

April 16, 2013

In the last ten years or so, the field of fundraising has been revolutionised by the arrival of the internet. No longer is fundraising the act of knocking on every door in the neighbourhood with a clipboard in hand. Now, thanks to the internet, fundraisers are able to effectively knock on the door of thousands of people every day, via harnessing social media and email, with the proverbial clipboard being transformed into a ‘JustGiving’, ‘Virgin Money Giving’ or ‘EveryClick’ page. There’s no doubt that the internet has made fundraising – and fundraising to a high target – a lot more achievable, but online fundraising is no-one click fix, so read on to find out how to make your online fundraising campaign as successful as it can be!

It’s all about the emails
There are a lot of blogs and articles out there about social media, and what an amazing fundraising tool it is, and they’re not wrong, social media should be the life and soul of any online fundraising campaign. But don’t forget about good old fashioned emails. Due to the accent of social media, emails now tend to be used for more business-like transactions, so to receive a personal email in amongst formal mailings would be a real unexpected pleasure for the recipient, and stand out in their minds much more than a random post that pops up on a Facebook feed.

But make sure to be careful how you put together your recipient lists, and how you word your emails – different strokes for different folks! The type of email you might send to old classmates or parents of friends would be different to the one you send to your work friends. So bear this in mind,

Tell the Story
This is where social media really comes into its own! Don’t just send out one tweet/fb post about your challenge asking for donations, really tell the story of your challenge and your fundraising, tell everyone what you’re most nervous about for your challenge, what events you’re putting on for your fundraising, why the charity you have chosen is so important, etc – don’t forget to always include a link back to your fundraising page so people can donate easily.
Use all the mediums at your disposal to keep things interesting, post photos and videos of your fundraising events and efforts. Set yourself mini goals and build up a buzz on social media. We recently organised ‘The BT Red Nose Challenge: Hell and High Water’ which saw a team of celebrities white water raft down the Zambezi to raise money for Comic Relief. As a final push, Radio 1 DJ Greg James pledged to jump into the Zambezi River naked when a certain fundraising goal was reached, and (thanks to a massive social media buzz and a push by Radio 1) it was…and he did! We hardly recommend you go to such measures, but mini goals and extra forfeits like this, combined with a social media push, can really help tell the story and give people more reasons to donate!

Make use of new online technologies
There is always something new and exciting happening in the world of online fundraising. One of the latest is an easy two minute way to create your own challenge website at a cost of just £20. A website can provide a centralised hub which can host detailed information about yourself, your challenge, your charity, your fundraising page, your blog and pics. This is great as you can use this to engage your local press by sending them a link to your site – the easier it is for them to find info, the more likely they are to give you the coverage you need. You can also offer businesses the opportunity to feature their logo and information on your website in return for corporate sponsorship. To find out more info about setting up your own challenge website, visit thechallengenetwork.com.

Here at Charity Challenge, we’re going to be soon launching our very own new piece of online technology, that we hope is going to have a very big impact on online fundraising, and it going to be of special interest to our charity partners, so watch this space!
We hope you found this article useful! For more top tips, and to see the many other amazing challenges we offer, you can visit our website at www.charitychallenge.com. To keep up to date on all Charity Challenge news, please enter your email address into the adjacent box to subscribe to our mailing list.

Tips & Advice

5 reasons why doing a Charity Challenge is good for your health!

February 25, 2013

As the name implies, charity challenges are all about taking on huge personal challenges in the name of raising money for charity. But another great thing about charity challenges are that due to the immense physical nature of the challenge, you really have to dedicate some time to training and getting your body fit and healthy and up to the task, and there’s little else out there that gives you better motivation to get into shape than the thought that in a couple of month’s time you’ll be summiting Mt Kilimanjaro, scaling to Everest base camp, or trekking along the great wall of China!

And being fitter doesn’t just mean you’ll get out of breath less often, it also gives you a whole host of other life enhancing benefits! Continue Reading…

Inspiration

Valentine’s Day all around the world

February 14, 2013

It’s that time of the year again! For many people, St Valentine’s day can feel monotonous and commercial, all fluffy pink love hearts and cherubs, and teenagers sending each other Justin Bieber themed E-cards! However, outside of the UK and the US, there are still places where the festival of love is celebrated in more traditional, unique and frankly bizarre ways! So if you’re looking for inspiration for new ways to mark the ‘day of lovers’, then read on…

Brazil
In Brazil, Valentine’s day is not traditionally celebrated on February 14th, since the nation is still in the throes of the Rio Carnival. Instead, they celebrate the “Dia dos Namoradas”, otherwise known as the “Day of Lovers” on June 12th, on this day a feast and parties are held to celebrate the patron saint of romance and matchmaking.

If your approach to St Valentines day mirrors Brazil’s work hard, party harder ethic, then you should check out our Brazil Trek and Kayak Challenge! This is one of our most unique and varied challenge – the combined elements of rainforest trekking and sea kayaking make this a very tough challenge! But on the completion of your challenge in Rio, you will definitely have reason to celebrate! And of course, what better place to celebrate with your Valentine than underneath a Rio sunset?

Romania
Romanians also don’t traditionally celebrate Valentine’s Day, they instead celebrate “Dragobete”, a more earthy rural festival on February 24th that denotes a celebration of lovers, spring and new life. It’s a day when traditionally “birds get betrothed” i.e. Start building their nests’, girls collect snow to melt for magic potions and children sing songs of spring. It is also said that if during a couple’s dance, one lover steps over the foot of another, then that lover will play the dominant role in the relationship! So if you’re planning on going out clubbing this evening to celebrate St Valentines, take note!

If you find these medieval notions of magic potions and rural living romantic, then you should defiantly check out our Trek Transylvania, where you and your beloved one could journey through rugged landscapes in a tough challenge that culminates in a visit to the enigmatic Dracula’s Castle.

China
China celebrates two Valentine’s Days, the first being the 14th of February St Valentines Day that we all know and love (or hate!). The second day of celebration of love is a little more unusual and falls on the seventh day of the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar. This day – known as “Qi Xi” or “Magpie Festival” comes from a Chinese legend over 2000 years old – and is the ultimate story of star crossed lovers! Like all folk tales, there are many variations of the Qixi Festival legend, but the basic story is usually the same: Niulang – a cow herder, and Zhinv – a weaver girl who is also the daughter of the Goddess of Heavan, meet on earth and get married. When the Goddess discovers this she orders her daughter back to heaven. The cowherd followed her there and in anger the Goddess cuts a river into the sky – the Milky Way, thus separating the two lovers. But once a year, all the magpies of the world fly up to the Milky Way to bridge the river and allow the two lovers to meet.

To celebrate this day, lovers visit the Temple of the Matchmaker and pray for love, happiness, and marriage. Singles also visit the temple to ask for luck in love. It is also traditional for young girls to carve melons and offer up fruit to the deities on this day.

If legends of star crossed lovers inspire you, then take a look at our Great Wall Discovery Challenge, where you and your lover will have to overcome 1000s of steps to reach your destiny.

Sweden
In Scandinavia, couples here will exchange “lover’s cards” on February 14, and like us, indulge in the commercial St Valentines day. But they do have a poetic and quirky card tradition known as the “gaekkebrev”, whereby the man sending this special card will write a rhyme for the lady to whom he’s sending it, but instead of writing his name he will sign off with a dot for each letter of his name. The puzzle is then for the lady receiving the card to guess the name of the sender. If she can guess correctly, her prize will be an Easter egg at Easter. But if she doesn’t guess, she owes the sender an Easter egg instead!

If this puzzling addition to Valentine’s Day brings out your competitive side, then check out our Dog Sledding Challenge in Sweden, where you’ll need to figure out how to successfully drive your own team of huskies, mushing over 200kms through beautiful, frozen landscapes. And as our Swedish Ground handler Jordana puts it “What could be more romantic than cuddling together on reindeer pelts by open fire whilst hearing the sleddogs howl to the northern lights and full moon!”

So there really is 100 different words and ways to say “I love you!”

Here at charity challenge, we think there is nothing more romantic or love affirming than taking on a challenge of a lifetime together – supporting each other up the mountains, sleeping together under the stars, taking in the most beautiful views in the world! You can see the top 5 list of Charity Challenges most romantic challenges here.

To see the many other amazing challenges we offer, you can visit our website at www.charitychallenge.com. To keep up to date on all Charity Challenge news, please enter your email address into the adjacent box to subscribe to our mailing list.