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Taking on a challenge for charity

In 2008, I became heavily involved in charity fundraising due to personal connections. From arranging bake sales at work to organising quiz and race nights, I always supported charity events. I also founded a cancer support group and ran it as the leader for 4 years because I wanted to help others using my experiences.

At the beginning of 2013, I wanted to set myself a personal challenge however I was not sure what to do. I also was looking for a new annual fundraiser for the support group / charity as over the years, I had organised the most popular events.  A friend suggested I took on a challenge to raise money as they knew how much charity work meant to me and it would personally "push my limits". After some deliberation and thoughts over what the challenge could be, I decided I would take on the 3 Peaks Challenge! I did some research and chose Challenge Central (I never imagined at this time, I would get the opportunity in the future to work for them too)!

Talking to work colleagues, it was soon apparent others had the same idea of taking on a challenge so with a confirmed team and an agreed charity to raise money for, the challenge date was set! To reach the minimum sponsorship I had set the team, we all started thinking of ways we could gain sponsorship for the vital funds for Myeloma UK. Quiz nights, bake sales, raffles, online sponsorship pages and family/friend support were all ideas used to raise money.

The team trained for the challenge and in September 2013, the group completed the 3 Peaks and raised over £6,000 for Myeloma UK.

From just one idea I had, I was able to get a group together from work to support my plan and raise money. During the event, we became more than just work colleagues because friendships grew as we helped each other complete the peaks. Even if the charity does not have a connection for everyone, you will find many people will either want to take part with you to just support you / the cause or because they too are looking for a challenge to push towards. The overwhelming feeling that my colleagues supported me with the event and the charity I had chosen was immense. I am very proud of the group and if the opportunity arises again to get another team together for a charity challenge, I would most definitely arrange another.