So the challenge begins - aghhh

Today, I set off to London ready to fly to Beijing tomorrow, wow this has come around so fast.

If I am not ready now it is too late so I am where I am.

Packing done!

The bag is packed, I had to get a new bag as the one I was going to use was too small for clothes once I had packed my gluten free protein bars and snacks. The new Highlander one can only be described as a container that should be on a ship as some kind of rescue device. Made of a red/orange rubber/plastic material it is certainly hardwearing and I will be seen coming (if I have not already been heard).

Fundraising not changed that much which is a shame but every little helps and what I do raise is more than Derian House already has. I am very grateful to everyone who has donated, it really is appreciated.

This last week

It has not really sunk in yet just what I am doing. This week has been a normal very busy week at work and last weekend my son moved into his first home so up until just now and packing not really read anything about the journey. I know when I fly and that it is 13.5 hours and 10,000 steps to climb and 75km to walk but as for anything else no idea. 

I have never been away for this long on my own so that will be interesting. It turns out just 10 of us going and my roomie seems a good laugh (the benefits of whats app) so fingers crossed. 

My first and possibly only charity challenge beckons

https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LisaSpann

1 week to go!

Well, this has come around rather quickly. This time next week I will be in London the night before the flight to Beijing. My view is if I am not ready now nothing will make a difference in the coming week.

In the last 3 weeks I attempted to climb Gros Piton in St Lucia but the heat got the better of me and last weekend tried Snowdon for the 2nd time (the Llanberis path). This time didn't even get beyond the initial path due to snow. So we took the train to see how bad it was, the pictures show the snow but the raining ice was something else. It hurt!

Packed (kind of)

I packed the bag this week, full of fulfil protein bars, nature creative bars, naked blueberry bars, pro2go baked crisps, nuts, banana pieces and snacks, not too sure where the clothes are going at this stage. Looking for a new bigger bag :)

Fundraising for Derian House

Still on going and not where I want it to be with 7 days to go still looking for £4,000 plus gift aid (total £5,000 for Derian House). Currently £3,590 inc gift aid.
 

All donations greatly appreciated

https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LisaSpann  

Just 3 weeks left before the challenge

So 3 weeks today and about now I will be boarding a plane for China. Amazing how quickly 300 days fly by, I am sure it was only a few weeks ago I signed up for this... 😱

Fitness training for the challenge

Well it is still happening, I am happyish with legs they have managed to handle what I have thrown at them, whether that is anything close to enough I shall know in 4 weeks. This week I attempted to climb the Gross Piton in St Lucia, got half way and called it. The heat and the size of the volcanic boulders to climb over where not what I expected at all. The legs and heart rate coped though which is encouraging and thankfully the Great Wall of China has steps that my short legs will be able to get up.

Awareness of the trip 

The local newspaper, the LEP did a great article on my trip and Derian House. Shame it didn't generate any donations though. 😞

Also, Totally Wicked will be featuring my trip in their next vaping magazine, so you never know.

Fundraising update

As I have said before this is much harder than I ever thought it would be. In addition to general donations, I am arranging a dress down day at work and a race night for when I get back to help raise funds. I thought I knew enough people that would make this quite easy with small sums, how wrong was I.

https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LisaSpann 

Inoculations - what a farce!

So the training part of this challenge is going quite well, still not convinced I am fit enough to climb the 10,000 steps but the walking bit may just survive. That's the good news of the week!

Chinese Inoculations

This was a joke, it seems that despite booking an appointment 6 weeks in advance of the appointment it turns out my GP surgery no longer does jabs. Even the doctor didn't know when I saw him. I get packed off to Boots travel clinic whose recommendations were coming in at mega bucks if I took them all. This appointment was pointless as the GP could not say what I have already had aghhhh. Many hours later and after much frustration my old GP from years ago could tell me what I have had, leaving me with the dilemma of Rabies jab yes or no. At £180 or this one jab not a cheap an option. Boots strong said yes but then they would, so took to asking others doing it all of whom'sGP said not needed. Hence the farce.

Fundraising 

This too is a challenge, never thought it would be sooooo hard but it is proving to be. Thankfully, Totally Wicked E-cigarettes (my awesome employer) has agreed to sponsor me £1,000 plus give me an extra 50% of what I raise from other employees (need payday before I start that one :) )

Still working on it but the goal of £5,000 still seems along way off but with 61 days left to go still got time. Any donations made by 31st Jan will get me an extra entry into Virgin Money Giving's draw for £100 to the charity, that would be helpful.

Chinese Visa

Good news though, got my passport back and it seems they are letting me in just need to make sure I get back out. Manchester Chinese Visa Centre is very good.


https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LisaSpann 

Pendle Hill in the snow & visa application.

Pendle Hill

This weekends training involved a trip up Pendle Hill. We picked a great day to go up, not!

Not a chance of seeing Blackpool Tower this time!

The weather was far from ideal as we got half way up we found the ice and the visibility was down to a few feet. There were others walking up but few and far between. Once we got to the top it was then a question of which route down, not the way we had gone up as the steps were far from ideal and we saw one person slip down a few.



There are 4 ways up and down and speaking to another group we were directed to one that was less steep and icy and more boggy. Boy was it boggy! We were not slipping on ice but mud is not much better at times.

The hill at the other side of the drop gave the impression it was moving with the ice scattered across it, that played tricks with our eyes so much so that we had to re focus as not to fall.

Overall we were out just 3 hours but climbed 87 floors and walked 17000 steps. Not bad training and my legs were feeling fine afterward and the following day which gives me hope that I am going the right way for this challenge.

Visa Application

The other challenge last week was the visa application process for the trip. 1.5hours spent simply trying to get a photo to be accepted on the new online application. Followed by another 45 minutes of answering all sorts of random questions all before an appointment could be booked. 

Last Friday I had the appointment with the Chinese visa centre in Manchester, 30 minutes with more photos and fingerprints plus an interview covering every possible inch of the application in great detail. 

£151 later and another appointment for next Friday to collect my passport and hopefully get my visa.

Next up injections!

https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LisaSpann 

The Great Wall of China “Step by Step”

 One Wall, 50 miles, 10,000 vertical steps this is a challenge!

The primary purpose of the Great Wall was to protect the Chinese Empire from the invading Mongolians. Nothing will however stop me from completing this challenge in aid of Derian House Children's Hospice and I would so appreciate your help.

£5 helps me up 25 steps

£50 helps me up 250 steps

Step by step please help me take on this challenge and raise much needed funds for an amazing Charity.

Please share my blog and help me raise some much needed funds.

Thank you

https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LisaSpann 

The actual charity challenge trek

With all the training and the effort in fundraising it make sense to talk about the actual trek. There is no doubt this is not some holiday walk, it is a flippin big trek!

Overall the distance covered is 75km over 5 days and within that includes climbing over 10,000 steps!

The terrain is challenging and is no mean feat for even very fit people let alone someone like me who has never even walked a 5k event before.

More about the challenge can be found at https://www.charitychallenge.com/challenge/9/Great-Wall-Discovery 

Please support me in raising £5,000 for Derian House. Every single penny raised will go direct to the charity. Just 50p per km will go along way in helping me reach this goal and remember if you are a tax payer and choose gift aid an extra 25p per £1 will be donated by the UK government toward it.

To support me and donate please go to

 https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LisaSpann 

Thank you

Corporate Sponsors of Derian House

Thank you to those businesses that have sponsored me

   

First big walk

Ok so some will say 9.5 miles is not that big, but with a mile to go I realised that I am nowhere near fit enough for this trek yet.

Manchester, Bolton, Bury Canal

That was yesterday and today I feel fine which is promising. The walk was a circular one and flat as I wanted to try distance. It is interesting what you see and learn when walking, this one we walked along the old Bury/Bolton canal that is being restored by the Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal Association and then back along an old disused railway.

We saw the 'Meccano Bridge', seemingly quite famous. It really is big Meccano.

The original locks are identifiable but crikey they need a lot of work! The image to the right below shows the old railway line crossing the river below.

      

We then followed the Outwood Trail back to the car along the old disused railway. Nice but not much to see and very little to identify that is was a railway line until you get to what was an old station platform.

Fundraising for Derian House

All of this of course is to get me ready for the trek but ultimately to help me raise money for Derian House. Today's job is to try my hardest at getting some businesses to sponsor me. I have a number of old contacts that hopefully will dig deep especially as charity contributions are tax deductible and for many the financial year will end 31st March so good timing :)

If I get enough I am looking to get a flag made (managed to get a freebie) with all logos on who have sponsored me and will take with me and get pictures of. I also plan a post on here of the companies that have donated and shared via social media. I know the reach will be small but the main benefit is the good they are doing. 

Off to send some emails.