21The Scotsman Saturday 2 February 2008CharityNot just deserts on charity trail8216Make time to
research the
d i ffe re n t
options, and
choose a trip
that best suits
your needs
and skills8217TAKE IT IN YOUR
STRIDE
Tr e k k i n g
across the Sahara
Desert is one way of
raising sponsorship
but a good level of
fitness is essentialAngela Dewar
explores ways to
raise funds for good
causes while seeing
more of the worldHimalayas as you trek to the Everest base
camp. The charity8217s link-up with the
Bobby Moore Fund, which raises funds
for bowel cancer research, also organ-
ises volunteering projects, including
renovating schoolsand footballpitches
in Brazil and South Africa. See
w w w. c a n c e r r e s e a r c h . o r g . u k / s u p p o r t u s
Some travel companiesspecialise in
organising thesegroup trips.For exam-
ple, Kuonihas itsown Challengefor
Charity (www.challengeforchar-
ity.co.uk), which has a wide choice of
holidaysat varyinglevels oftoughness,
depending on your fitness level and the
option of raising money for a specific
charity, such as Breast Cancer Care or the
Born FreeFoundation. Thescheme was
commended ina responsibletourism
awards programmefor helpingto raise
more than 1631 million for Habitat for
Humanity GreatBritain throughits
house building community challenges
in Sri Lanka, South Africa, China and
India.
These trips are not a holiday. After
months of trainingand fundraising,
you haveto takepart ina demanding
physical challenge.That couldmean
cyclingfor eighthours adayfor aweek
with only basic facilities and the added
pressure ofhigh altitude.A five-starbreak itcertainly isnot. Itcosts acharity
like CHAS over 1635 million pounds to
provide its services but the funds raised
on charity events are vital.
RoslynNeely, fundraisingdirectorat
CHASsays: 8220Thegreatthing aboutthe
Sahara Trek is that everyone benefits.
Participants can take part in a challenge
inone ofthemost breathtakingdeserts
in the world, and they also know they are
making a difference to the lives of child-
ren with life-limitingconditions and
their families who rely on CHAS for care,
support and friendship.It8217s a winning
c o m b i n a t i o n .8221
Another way togive something back
whileyou travelistobook avolunteer-
ingholiday. Responsibletravel.comhas
places onprojects asvaried ashelping
out atan orangutanrehabilitation
centre in Borneo and studying whales in
Newfoundland, to
marine conser-
vation in
the Seychelles or teachingEnglish in Sri
Lanka.
8220Weare seeinga hugeincrease inthe
numberofpeople enquiringandbook-
ingthroughour site,8221saysaspokesper-
son.8220We sawa29per centincreaseyear
on year between 2006and 2007. The
industry has changedfrom five years
ago when people were looking for char-
ity trips only.
8220More companies are offering shorter
volunteeringtrips, too,andthis ismak-
ing ita more accessible formof travel.8221
Asthe numberof organisationscontin-
uestogrow,we feelit8217smoreimportant
thanever thatpeople takethe timeto
research the differentoptions, choose a
trip thatbest suitstheir needsand skill-
set and take steps to ensure the company
they are travelling with offers responsi-
ble volunteering options.8221
The website has reviews of some of the
tripsbytravellersas wellastipstohelp
choose the right project for you.
Working withlocal NGOs,you8217ll
getachanceto takepartinvital
work and research to benefit the
environment andcommuni-
ties. Days canbe long and
strenuous, but it certainly
beats sitting behind a desk
all day.ABIKE ride from the Andes to the
Amazon, aHigh Atlassummit
trekin Moroccoorscaling
Mount Kilimanjaro 8230take on
the challenge of a lifetime and you could
raise money for a good cause at the same
time.For many,lyingona beachfora
week has lost its appeal and they want to
do something more worthwhile with
their precious time off work.
You8217llhave topayanentry feeand
meet a minimum sponsorship level
before you can take part, and be
prepared to be dedicated to the cause
from the minute you sign up. Even if you
have a decent fitness level, extra training
willbeneeded,not tomentiontheextra
hours spent raising sponsorship.
So how do you choose where to go and
which charityto raisemoney for?It8217s
probably best to find a charity which
appeals toyou and then findout what
they have planned.
The St Andrew8217s-based Association
for International Cancer Research
(AICR) is heading to South Africa in May
to raise vital funds and they8217re looking
for peoplewho are up fora challenge.
Theeight-day tripinvolvescycling,
hiking,trekking andraftingaswell asa
football matchagainst alocal team.It8217s
luckythat thecaptainsofthe AICRteam
are formerChelsea starsDavid Leeand
GarethHall. Fordetails,e-mail
a i c r @ a i c r. o r g . u k .
The Children8217s Hospice Association
Scotland (CHAS) is planning a three-day
Sahara Deserttrek inNovember, finish-
ingwith aclimb tothetop ofChigaga
Dunes. Participants pay the full cost of
thetripsoall themoneyraisedgoesto
the charity.CHAS provideshospice
services inScotland forchildren with
life-limiting conditions and runs the
Rachel Houseand RobinHouse
children8217s hospices. Call 0141-248 3103
for details.
Alternatively, the Anthony Nolan
Trust, which aims to tackle leukaemia by
providing life-saving donors for
patients in need of a bone marrow trans-
plant, hasa numberof eventsplanned
over theyear, fromthe ThreePeaks 24-
hour challenge 8211climbing Ben Nevis,
Scafell Pike and Mount Snowdon 8211 to the
chanceto travelwiththemin Chinain
Augusttowalka sectionoftheGreat
Wall then experience the thrills of the
2008 Beijing OlympicGames. Visit
www.anthonynolan.org.uk for details.
Sign up for an Open Challenge with
Cancer ResearchUK andyou couldbe
watchingthesun riseoverthe
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