We caught up with one of our trekkers, Sam, to find out exactly why she decided to put on her walking boots and take on the mesmerising Sahara Dunes Trek for the incredible Ellenor Hospice…
‘So it’s nearly been three months since I took part in the greatest experience of my life to date.
It’s also almost taken me the majority of those three months to get over the aches and pains that have come with trekking The Sahara Desert for a week…
For those of you who don’t know me or follow me on Instagram, I’m going to share my experience with you on my blog using the diary I kept whilst on the trek. Keeping a diary was a task at the time but it’s a godsend when you’re trying to write a blog post about something you did three months ago.
I spontaneously clicked the register button for the Sahara Dunes Trek. I did this after losing my dearest Uncle to Cancer early January. He was in a Hospice located in Gravesend for the last 6 months of his life. Some of you might know the Ellenor Hospice, but if you don’t click here to find out what they do and what ways you can help. They are a hospice that solely runs on charitable donations and it is filled with the kindest, most caring people you will ever meet. At the hardest point in one’s life, they were there for my uncle and us with nothing ever being a hassle. I could go on and on praising Ellenor Hospice.
For a while I had been researching ways that I could give back to them for their generosity. I scrolled through their event pages and came across marathons, walks, and skydives but I had to choose the most ridiculous challenge out there! I had never even considered or desired to visit the desert, but there I found myself debating it for weeks on end. Would I be able to raise the minimum sponsorship of £2000?! Let alone actually walking across the desert when I can barely make it up the stairs without needing a nap.
It wasn’t until the day my Uncle sadly passed away that I immediately pressed that register button. I then had 11 months to train, prepare and fundraise. I was very lucky as donations went sky high straight away. Everyone who knew my Uncle and my family knew what the heartache felt like and also what an impact the Ellenor Hospice made. It was time to give something back to them!! After advertising my JustGiving page literally everywhere and hosting a quiz and raffle night involving over 180 people, as a family, we managed to succeed the target and raised £3,145 in total. Reality then kicked in that I was actually going to have to trek the Sahara Desert.’
We would like to congratulate Sam on her amazing achievement! Such fantastic efforts were made with her fundraising for Ellenor Hospice and the completion of her challenge through the Sahara Desert – such an inspiration to us all!
