Meet the Team...

Here is round two of our two minute interview with the people behind the scenes that make all our challenges happen. 

Meet Haylie from the Dream Team...

Hi I’m Haylie and I have been working for Dream Challenges for ‘almost’ 2½ years.  I love my job as Challenge Event Organiser as it’s great to organise treks and cycles to exotic destinations, and get to go on a couple myself

What did you do before joining the team?    

I started my career straight from school into the travel industry, working for South African Airways (I’m born South African).  I followed on from SAA to working in both corporate & leisure travel agencies in South Africa.  In 2000 I left my home country to try out different ‘shores’ and landed in Dublin, Ireland for 3 years.  I moved to England and worked for various companies but always wanted to get back into travel.  Hence finding this job, and taking such enjoyment from it! 

What dream challenges have you been lucky to experience? 

I’ve been on the Britain V Cancer Trek Nepal event, and imminently due to go on Trek Borneo.  It’s so exciting and I can’t wait to do more events with DC!  I’ve also done most of the UK events. My favourite, and I’m definitely not being biased, is our own DC Ben Nevis event.  It’s a fabulous event, in a fabulous location!  

Tell us any of your funny or favourite moments?

Times spent in the office getting ready for a challenge, its usually VERY hectic but also very rewarding when it all comes together!

If you could create your very own Dream Challenge what would it be? 

Any desert trek – the Sahara or Namib as they are close to my roots.  The desert is a magnificent place to be with its vastness and power!

To find out more about Dream Challenges events please visit the website or contact us directly: 

W: www.actionforcharity.co.uk . E: events@dreamchallenges.co.uk T: 01590 646410

Guest Bloggers - African Initiatives take on Ben Nevis Charity Challenge

Last time my friend José had a nutty fundraising idea for African Initiatives all I had to do was bake some flapjack to keep her going round her 100 mile bike ride. I'm not sure what made her think of me when choosing the final victim for her 4-woman team for the Ben Nevis Charity Challenge, but I frankly didn't like the young and sporty look of my teammates: José often commutes to Bristol on her bike, and Sal and Kate are runners. And José being CEO of African Initiatives brought an additional element: failure was not an option. 

African Initiatives is an international development charity that promotes the rights of marginalised communities, with a focus on women and girls. Together with grass-roots partners in Ghana and Tanzania, African Initiatives works in women’s rights, girls’ education, livelihoods and health.


We empower communities and individuals to change attitudes, which in turn changes behaviour, which influences policy and leads to positive practices. This results in communities in which everyone has their voice heard and is able to challenge injustice and exercise their rights, so allowing people to attain an improves quality of life and better futures. 

According to the Ben Nevis website the mountain is in fog 55% of the time during May and June. I wasn't sure how to extrapolate this for our September expedition, but it coloured me suitably scared. There’s also a page entitled ‘safety on Ben Nevis’ designed to really hammer home the fact that there isn’t any. Here’s a taste: “bone-chilling winds, sub-zero temperatures, heavy rain, snow and blizzards - sometimes all at once”. Eek!

I never want to be that person who calls the nice folk from mountain rescue out of their beds just because I've been an under prepared idiot (an unlucky idiot, fine – and thank you in advance nice rescue people).

José's husband ran a chess evening to raise funds and awareness. None of us are chessy people really but even Sal took part, having not touched the game since a defeat in her early twenties at the hands of a ruthless 7 year old. I ran a garden event. Some friends came for warm Pimms, others came for seeds and plants, a final, generous group came solely to stick money in the pot. I got stung by a wasp while pressing the last bare rooted iris on a reluctant guest. It was worth it: we raised £130. 

We trained. We walked. We canoed along the Kennet and Avon Canal and wondered whether a straight run across a flat, narrow waterway was anywhere near a good representation of the struggle across a choppy Loch Lochy.

Three weeks before we had a final big training push. We pre-tired our legs with a 20 mile cycle ride then walked 12 miles. It was all wet feet, blisters, soggy sandwiches, marauding cows, and a sodden map where we always seemed to be walking on the creases. It wasn't a mountain, but it had to do. 




Of course, none of this prepared us. Not even slightly. The weather forecast for Ben Nevis was wind at 50-80 mph, rain at times heavy, and poor visibility at the top. Oh goody. We set off from the youth hostel at 0500 hrs on our bikes, carrying our packs 3 miles to the start. Then at 0622 we were the 23rd team to walk back the same 3 miles to the youth hostel to join the Ben Nevis path.

Coaxed by Kate we tramped past team after team. And in turn, we were passed by teams who RAN. No, Kate, don't even think about it. We started snacking early, and we snacked often. Partly to lighten the load. In retrospect we may have over done the catering. We didn't want to run low on energy. But we probably didn't need this much food.

But had we been stranded on Nevis, we'd have lasted a week, and still been in good spirits. It was heavy though. Maybe the Hopscotch Hotties wouldn't have beaten us by 9 minutes if we'd carried less? 

If you haven't walked Ben Nevis, then be warned: it's hard and steep. Going up is not so bad. But coming down is painful to middle aged knees. Younger teams skipped past us. José stopped for a chat with every marshal and every other team. She handed out cake to most (it was a vain effort, but we were hoping for the Best Team Spirit Award). As we limped the 3 miles from the youth hostel to the transition point (how many times are we going to travel this same piece of road?) we really wondered if we had the legs for a bike ride.

Kate encouraged us through the transition. Don't stop. Keep going. She was right, if we had stopped for longer we would have stiffened up. The bike ride was actually a nice sit down. …until the hills. Who put those there? The canoeing was about different muscles and really quite fun. Another nice sit down …until we turned out of the inlet and into the open loch and were riding waves. Are we going backwards? Can’t we have a rest? No! says Kate. Keep paddling. Oh how our legs stiffened and cramped in the canoe. I crawled onto the jetty and had to be winched to my feet by the nice man put there for just that purpose.

Back on the bikes for the final leg around the loch. Almost back to the transition centre we saw another team just heading out on their bikes. We croaked out something meant to be encouraging and took our mental hats off to them. We'd been out for 9 hours and 9 minutes, and were the 8th team back. They were out for over 13 hours and never gave up, even when they had a puncture. The honour salute goes to them we thought, as we rode the 3 miles back to the youth hostel AGAIN.

REGISTRATION FOR BEN NEVIS CHARITY CHALLENGE 2016  IS NOW OPEN - 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS. 

Feel Inspired? To find out more about Dream Challenges events please visit the website or contact us directly: 

W: www.actionforcharity.co.uk . E: events@dreamchallenges.co.uk T: 01590 646410

Taking on the Great Wall of China

Yesterday Dream Challenges flew a group from London to Beijing to take on the mind blowing task of trekking five days along the incredible Great Wall of China. They start at a section of the wall which was built in AD557 making their way past hidden villages, gaining height for the last day to reach the highest watch tower in Mutianyu. The sights they will see are mind blowing, however, the walk is a real challenge and not an easy task.

As they take on step after step we know that our participants will have one main motivation in mind. That is knowing that all of the training before and all the hard work during is worth it to support the cancer charity of their choice. The trek overall will raise thousands and thousands of pounds for different cancer charities.

This week we hear from The Maggies a group of eighteen strangers who have come together to take on the trek to support Maggies Centre in Nottingham. The centre helped each individual with their battle against cancer.  Here are three of the trekkers stories and a great video of their training experience.

Lisa Reynolds, 44

My main motivation for trekking in China is that I suffered from breast cancer just less than 

three years ago.  I coped really well at the time but two years later sunk into a bit of a depression and had a bit of post-traumatic stress about the whole thing. I did npt know where to go or what to do so I popped into Maggie’s after a mammogram to see what they were all about and they completely changed my whole life.

They helped me with two particular courses, Living with Less Stress and Mindfulness. They set me on the right track mentally.  Mindfulness is all about being in the present moment and being able to realise that negative thoughts are not real things and they can be very damaging. Mindfulness helps to reprogram your brain and concentrate on your body, yourself – it’s almost like having your senses turned up high and living your life as it is happening rather than worrying about what might happen.  

What better way to thank them than raising lots of money and trekking through China. It’s also been spurred on by my Gran, who sadly died last year. She was a pioneer, always raising money and doing charity treks so this seemed to be an apt thing for me to do and carry on her legacy.

I have always wanted to go to China. I am looking forward to seeing a whole different culture and visiting the Forbidden City.

Training has been good. It’s taken me a while to get over the chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Fatigue was quite an issue and I am only just getting back to normal so it’s the right time for a physical challenge. I am at a crossroads and am ready to leave it all behind and move forward.

Deb Mason, 49

I am turning 50 at the end of this year so I decided I wanted to celebrate by doing something different. I found out about the trek and thought it sounded like a good idea – I’d get my fitness levels up, meet some interesting people and hopefully raise a lot of money for Maggie’s, my chosen charity. I sit on the fundraising board, so we’re always looking for ways of raising money.

I started my training in January and have loved every minute of it. The Three Peaks weekend was amazing and blew me away and it’s made me more excited about the trek in September. It was really hard and I absolutely loved it. Keeping up motivation has also been tough through the winter. In the cold, snow, wind and rain it was horrible getting up and going for walks but the feeling of exhilaration afterwards was amazing.

I’m looking forward to the views at the Great Wall and meeting new friends. I also want to go to a temple as I really enjoy meditation. It’s going to be a big challenge but raising money for Maggie’s makes it all worthwhile.

Kirsten Bolton, 45

The things you get yourself into when you’ve had a drink…. My friend Laura is Maggie’s fundraising manager and she talks so passionately about the centre that I went to see for myself what is was all about. I was blown away, it’s such a beautiful, warm and caring environment to be in, the staff were lovely and people seemed so happy, despite the anxiety of having or caring for someone with cancer. That night I was round at Laura’s for dinner and over a bottle of wine she shared her plans for trekking in China. What a good idea I thought…

So the next day, on a cold January winter’s morning I dusted off my old walking boots and made a plan to get fitter and raise money for Maggie’s.

It’s been quite a journey. I was not fit and not keen on exercise so it was always going to be a challenge to get fit enough for a trek. Surprisingly I have really enjoyed it and been on some glorious walks. I even cycled on my summer holiday this year in Sweden! This weekend I am flying up to Aberdeen to do my last big weekend before we head off to China. It’ll be hard as its three days up and down the Munroes but I am looking forward to it.

Cancer touches a lot of people’s lives and it’s only when you start fundraising that you find out just how many. It’s been motivating for me to hear other people’s stories and the support we received when we organised the China Charity Ball was overwhelming. We raised over £16,000 that night. People still surprise me by their kindness and generosity.

What I’m looking forward to most are the spectacular views and seeing everyone’s face when we take our last few steps and reach the end. For a lot of people this trek is a great personal journey and their stories extraordinary. How lucky am I to be a part of that?

Training for the event...

The trekkers have all been in training leading up to the event, some may have never put on a pair of walking shoes before and some may be passionate which is why they chose the challenge. We love this video as it shows the fun and enjoyment that can some along with training for a challenge, also the friendships that can be made. 

To find our more about Maggies Big Trek please visit maggieschinachallenge.co.uk. We look forward to sharing the photos and video from the event on their return. 

If you want to show your support for a cancer charity we have lots of ways you can do this. To name a few in 2016 you could Cycle China, Trek Nepal, cycle from London to Paris or as a team take on our Ben Nevis Charity Challenge? Visit our website for a full listing of all our dream challenges. 

Feel Inspired? To find out more about Dream Challenges events please visit the website or contact us directly: 

W: www.actionforcharity.co.uk . E: events@dreamchallenges.co.uk T: 01590 646410

Maggies Ben Nevis Charity Challenge 2015

This week we have invited Maggies Centres Scotland to tell you all about the work they do as well as a chance to meet the team taking on our mighty Ben Nevis Charity Challenge all in aid of Maggies. 

Team Hitmen and Her...    

Adrian Ewan, and his team Hitmen and Her, are just a week from tackling the Ben Nevis Charity Challenge 2015.  On September 12, Adrian along with three colleagues from Edinburgh Investment Consultants, Scott McKintosh, Drew Nutsford and Elaine Montgomerie, will hike up and down Ben Nevis, cycle 25 miles then canoe a 3km stretch of Loch Lochy.  Not only that, they’ll do it in 10 hours or less and all to raise money for Maggie’s, the charity that offers free practical, emotional and social support to people with cancer and their family and friends.

This will be Adrian’s first charity challenge and the first time he has taken on anything so testing.  As he said: “I’ve climbed mountains before but I haven’t then jumped on a bike or canoed up a loch.”  And living near Edinburgh in one of Scotland’s less mountainous regions has meant that training has not been straightforward for the team.  Adrian said: “The Pentland hills are not very high so we have been up and down them like a yoyo!”

Adrian’s biggest worry is getting on a bike with wobbly knees after descending Ben Nevis, but he’s confident the team will get each other through.  And, if it goes well, he might be ready for more: “I’ll have to wait and see but, yeah, I might get the bug!”

Adrian’s decision to run, bike and paddle for Maggie’s was inspired by his mum who died of cancer last year.  “She spent a lot of time at Maggie’s Fife and I know she got a lot of benefit from meeting other cancer patients.  So when I looked at the charities we could fundraise for Maggie’s just jumped out at me and I convinced the rest of the team.”

About Maggies...

Maggie’s Fife is one of a network of Maggie’s Centres, all built in the grounds of NHS cancer hospitals and all following a blueprint of ideas that were set out by Maggie Keswick Jencks who lived for two years with advanced cancer.  Maggie believed that people affected by cancer needed a place that was near their treatment hospital where they could get information, psychological support and the chance to meet other people dealing with the same challenges, in a relaxed, domestic environment.

The first Centre opened in Edinburgh, in the grounds of the Western General Hospital, in 1996; there are now 18 Centres across the UK, abroad and online with more in the pipeline.  All the Centres are designed by leading architects to create a welcoming and uplifting environment.  However, Maggie’s Centres are much more than just beautiful buildings: each one is staffed by qualified professionals, including psychologists and experienced cancer nurses, who offer a free programme of support for people with cancer and their loved ones.  Visitors will often simply drop in to the Centre and have a cup of tea with staff and with other Centre visitors - every Maggie’s Centre has a big kitchen table at its heart as well as a kettle and a well-stocked tea and coffee cupboard.  They can also choose to take part in a range of courses, classes and groups.  Courses on offer include ‘Getting Started’ which is designed for people who have recently been diagnosed, and ‘Where Now’ which helps with the challenges that people can face when treatment is finished, such as going back to work.

The host of workshops and classes that is available covers activities and topics such as relaxation, nutrition, expressive art, yoga and gardening.  Plus, there are professional benefits advisers on hand in the Centres to help people to deal with the many financial challenges that cancer can bring.  And, each Centre hosts support groups for people who are in similar circumstances, including friends and family groups as well as groups for the bereaved and for people with specific types of cancer.

Why we need support...

One Maggie’s Edinburgh visitor commented: “Maggie’s is like an oasis.  It gives you the tools to take your future forward, to take control of your life.”

To keep on offering this support, Maggie’s relies entirely on voluntary donations.  It is now forecast that one in two people in the UK will be diagnosed with cancer at some time in their lives, and as cancer treatments become more successful the number of people living with cancer is growing and so is the need for support.  Maggie’s aims to make the biggest difference possible to people with cancer and their family and friends, and you can help.  

You can help Adrian and Hitmen and Her meet their £3000 target by donating here. 

Or, why not consider signing up with Dream Challenges for a trek, cycle or team challenge yourself and help Maggie’s to support people who are facing the challenges that a cancer diagnosis brings? 

There are still spaces available on the Ben Nevis Charity Challenge 2016...here is a short video to get your challenge taste buds going...

Feel Inspired? To find out more about Dream Challenges events please visit the website or contact us directly: 

W: www.actionforcharity.co.uk . E: events@dreamchallenges.co.uk T: 01590 646410