Charity Challenge
| Doing a charity challenge is a great way to raise money for your favourite animals AND to really push back your comfort zone. Many charities are looking for brave people to run marathons but there are also those willing volunteers who will simply organise a sponsored dog walk of a few miles, abseil down a cliff, do a tandem jump from an aircraft, do a sponsored slim or a sponsored give up - smoking, drinking, eating chocolate, cakes, biscuits etc. We all have our own limits by which we feel comfortable and often something which is terrfiying to one person isn't to another, as you'll know. And these days, charities are really being far more flexible about challenges you pick - they have to be. You don't have to run a marathon - Free the Bears asked people to spend a night in a cage to raise funds for the bears they rescue as a challenge, because many of the bears they help were in a tiny cage when they were rescued. The key is to pick on an activity which will inspire you to get fit & do the training you may need to do in order to take up the challenge. Charity runs vary in length. There's the full 26 mile race such as the London Marathon and lots of Great Runs, which are shorter, and also many local opportunities to run or walk miles for your chosen charity. The Peak District Challenge The Peak District Challenge takes place on 13-14 September 2024. There are several different levels of challenges, You can run or trek, from 25km to 100km. Entrants have the option to fundraise for any charity of their choice. Find out more Explorers Against Extinction How about climbing Mount Kilimanjero for wildlife rangers in July 2025 (starts there 25 July 2025)?
There are also charity cycle rides, or for thrills you could jump out of an airplane and do a tandem jump (so you are "attached" to an experienced jumper. And here are some other ideas: Charity Challenge all over the world, you can push yourself to your limit with different activities, destinations, levels of difficulty and duration. Charity Challenges for the World Land Trust - and help save wildlife habitat The Marine Conservation Society. has lots of different challenges including kayaking, a Kiltwalk (get your kilt on), challenges in the Lake District, the Cotswolds, the South West Coast 50 Challenge, and Game Shark. Challenge yourself for the Orangutan Foundation and help orangutans - run, walk, swim, cycle or swing! Go on a volunteer holiday - Responsible Travel list lots all over the world, from elephant conservation to rainforest conservation. Global Adventure Challenges list lots of charities you can support under their Animal Welfare and Wildlife Conservation listings. Click here to leap to see their pages Life changing Charity Challenges help to raise funds for UK charities. Their mission is to help people fulfil their lifetime ambitious and raise funds for charity at the same time! EasyFundraising makes it easy for you to fundraise for a charity of your choice - find out more here |
| Please take advice from your GP and fitness trainers on how best to prepare yourself for these events physically. Plus check on how they think you will handle altitude - many people have problems on events because altitude sickness hits them unexpectedly. Altitude sickness can hit the fittest of people when they least expect it, so talk to a GP before you even contemplate doing a challenge. And make sure you have a good level of insurance. It also goes without saying that you should check the advice of your government e.g. the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in the UK before you head off, just in case things are a more than a bit delicate in the country to which you intend to have your charity challenge. Some of these challeges have age restrictions e.g. minimum age 18, and some have sponsorship conditions e.g. you need to raise a certain amount of sponsorship to do the event. And of course these days you will need to stick to covid-19 guidelines, rules and regulations, wherever you are and however you get there. |