Bearly there...

Inspiration for this quest came from a couple of (perhaps unlikely) sources; a friend who regularly donates blood and a group of friends who recently risked life and limb on a driving adventure across the continent to the Sahara in Africa, in the name of their charities.

Now whilst I've always been a keen supporter of animal charities, up to this point it's been more of what i like to call..'Armchair or backseat supporting' i.e. minimal effort required on my part. It's been limited to monthly donations and signing the odd online petition. Nothing quite to the extent of what i'm planning for my maiden fundraiser challenge!

In September 2010, a group of supporters will join WSPA on a 5 day trek across the Carpathian Mountain range in Romania, ending with a visit to the bear sanctuary that WSPA has built with the help from funds raised by fellow supporters. I would like to take part in this challenge but in order to do so, need to reach my fundraising target of £2,500! Ambitious I know but not impossible!

'Who is WSPA and why bears?'

For those that are unfmailiar, WSPA is a long established and hard-working charity that believes animals truly matter and their crusade in the fight to stamp out animal cruelty spans across the globe.

Why not bears? Part of their relentless work has been to protect bears bears from various forms of cruelty such as bear baiting in Pakistan, bear farming in Asia and India's notorious dancing bears. They do this by setting up bear sanctuaries for rescued bears, working in partnerships with Asian governments, monitoring treatment of bears in captivity and pushing for prosecution for mistreatment. For more info:

http://www.wspa-international.org/wspaswork/bears/default.aspx

On this journey, I shall aim to keep this page updated with photos and info from various fundraising endevours and mini-events (including a hike through the Welsh mountains) in the hope of prepping me for the 50k trek - wish me luck!

But more than luck, I would be most grateful if you could help me reach my goal by donating today.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.

Massive thanks to all!

Annie