Hi everyone,
Thanks for stopping by ...      Huge thanks to everyone who has sponsored me, helped me fundraise, encouraged me and most of all inspired me....  What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything.                     

My Challenge
On 2nd April 2009 I left Heathrow Airport for Kathmandu to take part in the challenge of a lifetime by trekking for 15 days through the lush valleys of the Sagarmatha National Park in the Himalayas where eight of the worlds fourteen peaks that exceed 8,000m in height are situated.  The highest of them all being Mt Everest, standing at 8,848m.  

I trekked from Lukla (the flight into and out of Lukla is legendary – runway over 2,860m high on a slope!!).  The trek visited places such as Namche Bazaar, Tengboche, Gorak Shep before reaching Base Camp.  Sadly I did not make it to Everest Base Camp as we were delayed in Kathmandu for 3 days (due to bad weather at Lukla) then I got quite sick for 3 days - the Khumbu cough and fever!!  Despite this huuuuuge disappointment I am very pleased to report that I did make it all the way to Dingboche which sits at 4410m in altitude (higher than most people will do in a lifetime!)  I am slowly becoming more proud of this achievement as the days go by.  It was such an amazing journey, words cannot describe it really.  You can see all of my photos by clicking on the links to Flickr on the left. 

I am also thrilled that you have contributed to my fundraising efforts and now i am only a few pounds off £4000 - an excellent and mind-blowing amount that I never thought was possible - HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL!!!!!  

See the itinerary for further details:  http://www.charitychallenge.com/cc/charitychallenge/pdf/Everest_Itinerary_2009.pdf
For training & general updates please see my blogs:  http://angeprojecteverest.blogspot.com/ 

Why am I doing it?
Early 2008: I was inspired by 2 amazing guys (Mark Beaumont & Sir Ran Fiennes) to face my own fears, get out of my comfort zone, think outside my box and take on a personal physical and mental challenge whilst at the same time raising funds for a wonderful cause in Marie Curie Cancer Care.  (To climb my own Everest you could say!).

The motivation for this challenge is to raise money and awareness for the amazing work that Marie Curie Cancer Care do for cancer patients and their families.  At some point in our lives we are all touched by or know someone who has been touched by cancer and you'll know how completely helpess you can sometimes feel. This is our chance to help. 

What can you do?
I would be thrilled if you could sponsor me and help me raise much needed funds for this wonderful cause.

Some of the work you will be supporting
Research had shown that 64% of us would choose to die at home; sadly only 25% of people will achieve this wish - with the majority of them dying in hospital, precisely the place people with cancer don’t want to be.  Marie Curie Delivering Choice Programme aims double the number of terminally ill people dying at home.  For more information about this project and the work Marie Curie Cancer Care provides visit: http://deliveringchoice.mariecurie.org.uk/ or http://www.mariecurie.org.uk/whatwedo/

Now for the other useful information:
My target is to raise a minimum amount of £3250 in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care.  I have made a personal contribution towards the cost of the expedition of £564.  The balance of the expedition will be paid by the charity from the minimum sponsorship it receives.  The remaining sponsorship money (at least 55%) will be retained by Marie Curie Cancer Care.  With your help and generosity I hope to exceed my target of £3250.

Please, please sponsor me!      Thank you!!

Angela x