Hello, my name is Sandra and I have recently completed a week’s trek along the Great Wall of China to raise money and awareness of eating disorders. The trek challenged me both mentally and physically, and pushed me far out of my comfort zone! Along the way I met many wonderful people, all of whom had their own personal reasons for completing the trek, and I have made some lifelong friends.
The planning for this trip started 18 months ago, and has taken a lot of training, blisters and time to reach the fitness levels required. I was, however, very determined to complete it – I had very good reason to…
Some years ago, my eldest daughter (age?) was diagnosed with an eating disorder, and also suffered a series of other mental health complications. It has been a very difficult time for us as a family, and for a while, she was very poorly. Although she is now at university, and generally her illness is under control, it does loom in the background and still requires careful monitoring. Beat have provided an endless source of help and comfort to us, and I have found the information particularly helpful in the past as a carer. It was for this reason that I decided to give something back.
The majority of my fundraising came from the JustGiving page I set up earlier in the year, and although the charity pays a small fee, it was a very easy way to watch the total increase. I beat my £300 target in no time! I also set up an online blog, which we updated each month with information about the preparations for the trip, information about Beat, but also, and very importantly, a post from my daughter herself where she shared her own story. My younger daughter also shared from a sibling’s perspective. I found this helped greatly – we had followers from all over the world and gained a lot of donations on the back of it.
Raising funds and awareness for this charity is one of the best things I have done in a long time and even a small amount of money can go a long way to helping sufferers. So I guess all I can say is good luck to anyone who is fundraising for Beat, and if you are thinking of doing so, go for it! If you take on a challenge it is the best feeling in the world when you complete it!
Good luck!
Sandra completed the Great Wall of China trek in October and raised £1,000 for Beat – over three times her original fundraising target! To take part in your own overseas adventure, check out our Iceland trek or our event partner Skyline’s website.