WHIZZ KIDZ CHALLENGE

In October 1997 issue I wrote regarding the Himalayan Challenge that I was going to participate in. From September 1997 to January 1998, most of my spare time was devoted to developing my fitness and fund-raising, in order to meet the £2,500 target set by Whizz Kidz Charity. Several events such as car boot sales, art sales, a 3-legged pub crawl, and the help of Kibworth Primary School, together with other sponsorship and donations meant that after a slow start this target was raised and indeed exceeded - A total of £3,740.

On 20 February 1998 I set off for the next part of the challenge to Nepal. The trek exceeded my expectations both physically and mentally. We started a typical day at 4.30am with tea and wash water being brought to the tent. After a hearty breakfast of 'Muesli Porridge' we would start walking at around 6.30am. The shortest days walking was 6 hours when, in the afternoon, we visited a local school, that the trekking company had rebuilt and sponsored, The longest days walking was 11 hours. The most strenuous day was the second day when we walked up to a height of nearly 12,000ft. This took us 6 hours altogether with 4 hours of that being solidly uphill. With the effects of altitude we walked very slowly with frequent breaks. This was rewarded with the most stunning views of the Everest range, (see photograph) although Mt Everest itself had clouded over by the time we reached this point. After a lunch stop it was time to start the 3 hours descent.

As well as the physically exhausting nature of the trek, we also had time to visit local Bhuddist Monasteries, local villagers houses and schools, and gain an insight into the life of the Sherpas, who were fortunately carrying our loads, plus everything else we needed including tents, pots and food. By about 8 or 9pm most of us were ready to take to our sleeping bags. The whole experience was something I shall never forget and I certainly feel that I earned the sponsorship money.

Whizz Kidz have informed us since that they raised a total of £650,000 from this event, and that the Specialist Trekking Co-operative who organised and ran the trek out in Nepal, now have enough money to rebuild a further school in another village. On behalf of the children who will benefit from this fund-raising, I would like to thank all those who supported me, donated money or sponsored me for this event. In particular I would like to thank Kibworth Primary School for their fund-raising events, Kibworth Health Centre, The Three Horseshoes Pub, The Rose and Crown, Farthing Holidays, Look of Kibworth and Kibworth Co-op for their support and donations.

Whizz Kidz have a committed team of fund-raising and are continually doing similar events, marathons etc, for the charity. Anyone who is interested in participating in a similar event or helping 'Whizz Kidz to keep Kids Whizzing' should contact them at:

1 Warwick Row, London SW1E 5ER Telephone (0171) 233 6611

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