I am not a sporty type, nor am I outdoorsy, practical or brave. I wouldn’t be your immediate thought in a crisis unless it was of the hair & make up variety... in which case I’m your gal. I am definitely not an obvious person to be trekking 100km across some of the most savage terrain on the planet, with a small group of strangers and no mascara.

 

Signing up for this adventure is the result of a number of converging factors:

 

1. Becoming a trustee of The Inspire & Achieve Foundation and spending time with some amazingly determined young people who have thrived with the support of the charity, in spite of the enormous challenges that their daily lives present. 

 

2. An extended period of dithering with regards to settling on an appropriate method of marking my midlife crisis.... urm...sorry... Celebrating my 40th birthday (which incidentally is a few days after I return from the desert).

 

3. Never, ever drinking decaff.

 

I’ve completed a number of marathons in the past, but not seeing any reason to exercise unless there’s promise of applause and a medal, I haven’t broken a sweat this decade. That, twinned with my deep and long-term relationship with trifle* means I have gained a considerable amount of womanly heft, which I must shed in order to safely embark on such an extreme quest. After 7 months on a diet, the scorpions, snakes and Saharan sun will no doubt feel like the easy bit.

 

And so the training begins... I’ve even bought my first ever pair of walking boots, regardless of the assistant foxing me with a series of made up words such as scree and gore-tex.

 

If you could possibly manage it, I would be eternally grateful if you could bung a few quid in my direction. Whatever you can spare would be received with joy. Not only will your help enable The Inspire & Achieve Foundation to continue working to support the young people who need it most, but it will inspire me to continue my trifle-free training.

 

Thank you so much, 

 

Sarah xxx

 

*other high calorie/ super delicious goods from the pudding bit of Tesco may apply.

 

 

 

 PS. 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. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.