So, after some inspiration from team members who'll be joining me in taking part in this wonderful challenge....I have finally decided to attempt blogging!
As some of you will know, in November I'll be travelling to Cambodia to take part in a community challenge with the charity Scope. Scope is a charity which offers support, advice and guidance for those caring for a loved one with cerebral palsy, and also strives for disabled individuals to achieve equality. Not only is this project a huge personal challenge for me, but it will raise thousands for the much needed work that Scope carries out, helping individuals and families affected by cerebral palsy and disability in our local areas, throughout the UK and internationally.
Whilst in Cambodia, my team mates and I will trek up and around the Kulen Mountains for two days, camping by a beautiful waterfall along the way, before heading to a remote village. Once we arrive in the village, we will set up camp and live and work alongside the locals. As a group, we will spend 4 days building housing facilities for 2 families who have been affected by disability, due to amputation of limbs from landmines after the years of war the country encountered. Once the houses are completed, local Bhuddist Monks will come to bless the houses, then they are handed over to the families.
The main part of the project, apart from keeping up with fitness and having nasty jabs (I'll fill you in later!) is raising awareness of the wonderful work Scope carries out and also the minimum sponsorship amount of £3200 that we have to raise individually, to help fund the vital work Scope supports. With a week to go until my final deadline...I'm still a little bit off target, but I always said from the moment I signed up that I would make a considerable contribution to the final amount, mainly for the amazing experience I know I'll have whilst in Cambodia. So if I can manage to raise anything extra, it's a huge bonus all round!
Here's how I've raised the money so far: apart from having held bake sales, coffee mornings, raffles, tombolas, fun days, music events, I made my radio debut on BBC Leicester, written an article for the online outdoors website, Recommended for a Reason and even had a very dodgy photo printed in a local paper! On top of all this, the wonderful generousity of friends, family and even strangers never ceases to amaze me...even in the current climate, it's surprising the number of people willing to support my fundraising, and no matter how big or small their contribution has been, I have been truly touched.
Next on the agenda...training for the trek. Well this area has been VERY hit and miss! Already a gym-goer when I signed up for the challenge, I consider my general fitness isn't that bad and I was in a good routine of hitting the gym 3-4 times a week....However, after a very sunny, boozy and food-filled week in Cyprus with my lovely friends, the routine slipped somewhat. I've slowly but surely got myself back into going and I'm now really starting to enjoy it again. I bought some rather fetching walking boots and have been on walks at Bradgate Park, which is only a few villages away from my house, and have done a few 5-6 mile walks around various places in the Cotswolds, taking in the lovely scenery as I go. But, with only 6 weeks to go until departure for Cambodia (eeek!), I think a more intense gym routine is definitely needed.
As you can probably imagine, there are some very weird and wonderful diseases and viruses that we may be potentially exposed to when trekking and working in Cambodia! I need jabs for Japanese Encephalitis, Rabies, Hepatitis A, Typhoid and possibly Cholera...luckily I've escaped the Hepatitis B jab being an NHS employee...but I'm still having to pay £280 for the pleasure of these jabs, and that's without the DEET I need to stop the mozzie bites and the anti-Malarials......It'll all be worth it in the long run I know!
As I said earlier, just over 6 weeks to go, so expect some more frequent posts from me over this period...that's if I've not bored you to tears so far!
I will post up details of how you can support me via my Just Giving page and by Just Giving Text.
Hope to see you here again soon,
Kate x
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