Runner-up

Congratulations to this years runner-up – Mr Albert Matthews, who spent the night in Vale Castle, Guernsey. A brave man and an amazing effort raising funds for Hope for a Child projects.

An account of the winners experience and photos of the event are below.

“Heritage were abandoned 2011

October has been an uncharacteristically warm month this year and heading out to Fort Pezeries at Pleinmont, it seemed like we had picked a perfect night for our abandoned challenge. However with little cloud cover that day, temperatures soon plummeted as the sun set over the horizon.

The team set up camp, built a fire and set in for a night in a spooky fort and a stone’s throw from Guernsey’s famous fairy ring. The team fashioned a temporary shelter within the walls of the Fort and set about claiming their sleeping quarters for the evening.

The turn of midnight saw a walk over to the Fairy Ring and in age old tradition everyone circled the ring three times and then made a wish in the middle – it is yet to be seen if these wishes will come true…..

After much chatter and storytelling around the camp fire to keep spirits up, morning was finally upon us. Sleeping in the open October air chilled the team to their bones and everyone was keen to get home for a warm bath and some hot food.

The team did an amazing fundraising effort and this year raised over £1,600 from friends, family, work colleagues and clients which makes a fabulous donation to Hope for a Child, a great charity doing fantastic work for a worthwhile cause!!!”

SIGN UP FOR ABANDONED 2012 HERE…

Sahara Desert Trek 2011

Sahara Desert Trek 2011

Sahara Desert Trek 2011

Sahara Desert Trek 2011

Sahara Desert Trek 2011

Sahara Desert Trek 2011

Sahara Desert Trek 2011

Sahara Desert Trek 2011

Sahara Desert Trek 2011

Charity Challenge Sahara Desert Trek

Having previously trekked through the rugged jungle in Thailand during November 2010, Emily Wild & Lee Hubert signed up for their next big challenge! The duo have recently returned to the island after taking part in a Sahara Desert Trek- to raise funds for locally based charity; Hope for a Child. They were joined by Danny Lee-Williams, also raising key funds for HFAC. The expedition took them through a forbidding landscape, punctuated by stark peaks, formidable gorges and bright oases. They trekked across the dry, open land in high temperatures of 35 degrees, covering 108kms in 4.5 days and camped each night in Bedouin tents.

Emily, 21, who volunteers for the charity as Events Manager and local fundraiser; added how “the time we spent in the Sahara Desert with twenty three strangers whom we joined in the UK was an experience of a lifetime. From the very beginning, we bonded as a group incredibly well and we hope that we have made friends we will keep in contact with for years to come. There was a range of ages within the group and everyone had their personal stories and reasons as to why they were taking part in this fundraising challenge. None of us knew exactly what to expect before embarking on this trek but it lived up to any expectations we had. I was slightly more anxious about this trek due to the heat conditions and the lack of washing facilities, (in the jungle we had the river to bathe in at the end of each day), but when times got tough, which they did, we reminded ourselves that we set out to do this for a worthy cause and we all supported one another. The trek was worth every hour of hard training and fundraising and we have memories that we will never forget and that you just cannot explain to someone else without experiencing it for yourself.”

“the desert landscape was forever changing. One day we walked 30km over rocks, which was extremely hard on the legs and feet, other mornings we traversed across barren plateaus where you could see absolutely nothing beyond the skyline, to then find ourselves climbing the most amazing sand dunes for which photos do not do justice. We felt very proud of ourselves when we crossed the finish line and believe that every penny of sponsorship was well earned!”

- Lee, 31 works for 2e2 in Guernsey

Emily & Lee, who paid all trip expenses themselves, recently organised a large event to help raise funds for Hope for a Child, and to create awareness of their challenge. The ‘Masquerade Ball in aid of Hope for a Child’ took place on Saturday 1^st October at St Pierre Park Hotel. The event, sponsored by CBO Projects, Rent-a-Guernsey Limited, Guernsey Post Batif & 2e2 was a sell out with 262 people attending. The evening comprised of a drinks reception, three-course dinner, live music from local band The Half Day Friday’s, fire dancing and balloon magic. “The event took a lot of planning and hard work, but it all paid off when we realised we had reached £5,000! We did not expect to gain so much interest in the event and it was amazing to see so many people supporting the charity and our Sahara Desert challenge. We are thankful to all those who attended the event and to all four sponsors; without them the event would not have been possible”.  All funds raised from the event and their Sahara Desert Trek went directly towards Hope for a Child’s Village Savings & Loan Associations in Uganda and will make a huge difference to a significant number of lives.

To sponsor the duo’s efforts, please visit www.justgiving.com/teams/HfacSaharaDesertTrek

(Untitled)

(Untitled)

(Untitled)

(Untitled)

(Untitled)

(Untitled)

(Untitled)

Those of you who missed out, dont worry – get ready for next year’s Hope for a Child Masquerade Ball!

Thanks so much to everyone who made the ball such an amazing, successful event. We hope you had the best time.

The 250 tickets sold out in almost no time, so get your paws on a handful early for 2012. Thanks for enabling our projects, and joining with us in helping communities to help THEMSELVES rise from poverty.

Thank you so much.

HFAC Team

After 10 months of training and planning for our jungle expedition in aid of Hope for a Child, myself (Emily Wild), Katherine Marsh & Lee Hubert completed our charity challenge. This took place in western Thailand’s Kanchanaburi Province; location of the infamous Death Railway and Bridge over the River Kwai which we visited during the drive from Bangkok to the more remote side of Thailand.

Kanchanaburi is inhabited by a mixture of Burmese, Karen, Mon & Thai peoples who we were all able to interact with during our trek and see how they live and survive in the jungle. The challenge took us through the rugged jungles in very remote parts of the province close to the border with Burma. We spent six days trekking, rafting, kayaking and riding elephants through the forested areas and mountains of the jungle, staying overnight in a village consisting of bamboo stilt houses and at a campsite on the banks of the river.

“The expedition was worth every hour of hard training and fund-raising and we have memories that we will never forget”

Our first day in the jungle was tough with steep ascents and descents for over 8 hours in hot temperatures and high humidity; this included crossing rickety looking bridges constructed of bamboo and wading through rivers. The other days were a challenge but not in as extreme conditions; we thoroughly enjoyed camping in the jungle, albeit not having all the amenities we are used to. We bathed in a river for two nights, which surprisingly felt like bliss after a day of jungle trekking. Lee celebrated his 30th birthday in true jungle style on the second night and we even had birthday cake brought down the river!

The ten days we spent with seven strangers whom we joined in the UK was an experience of a lifetime. From the very beginning, we bonded as a group incredibly well and we hope that we have made friends we will keep in contact with for years to come. None of us knew exactly what to expect before embarking on this challenge but it lived up to any expectation we had. When times got tough we reminded ourselves that we set out to do this for a worthy cause and we all supported one another. The expedition was worth every hour of hard training and fund-raising and we have memories that we will
never forget.

During the month of September Guernsey companies, organisations, families and groups of friends were invited to spend a night under the stars to raise funds for Hope for a Child. The event challenged teams to compete in finding the most extreme location to snooze.

Congratulations to 2nd Guernsey Boys’ Brigade for being this years Abandoned winners! The slightly crazy group kayaked their way out to Flag Rock, Cobo, and spent a cozy night clinging on amongst ‘dead fish and seagull muck!’ A great effort and well worth this years trophy we thought.

Other teams slept in locations including the Cup & Saucer at Rocquaine, a German bunker, Paradis Island, and a bed of pine needles.

The range of services offered by these slaves varied from photo shoots, Spanish lessons to boat trips to Sark and massages.
Over £1100 was raised during the event.

Thanks so much Amanda!