Tomorrow Sue Tough will make her inevitable journey to China to begin Hodgkinsons’ biggest charity challenge to date. On Saturday 12th October, Sue will make her way to Heathrow where she will meet her trekking teammates and team leader. Arriving in Beijing on Sunday, Sue will be transferred to her first local lodge for a night stay before she departs on the walk on the Monday. The trek itself will take place over five days, covering a total of 50km by walking for up to 7 hours each day across timeworn and mountainous terrain.
Sue has had to prepare both physically and mentally to ensure that she is ready for what is to come. Hodgkinsons have raised over £8,000.00 which was even more than anticipated through in-office bake sales and the launch of Hodgkinsons’ Summer Charity Ball which took place in July 2019. This is a significant amount of money which will be donated to St Barnabas Hospice Lincolnshire.
St Barnabas Hospice Lincolnshire have been Hodgkinsons charity of choice for 3 years running. The hospice is a local independent charity who support over 10,000 people across Lincolnshire with a life limiting or terminal illness. The charity delivers free, high-quality, compassionate end-of-life care and support to patients, their families and their carers. St Barnabas are reliant on the financial support of the community to allow them to carry on providing care for many years to come which makes it vital that challenges such as the Great Wall of China Trek happen.
Sue contributes much of her time to participating in the company’s charity events and helps towards raising money for charity independently. An example of this is when Sue trekked 70 miles across the Sahara Desert to raise funds for Age Related Macular Degeneration.
As the challenge draws closer, we asked Sue what she was expecting from taking part in the Great Wall of China Trek. Sue Tough commented: “I know that the challenge will be difficult, no matter how much I prepare. Although I have done other various charity challenges, this is nothing like I have ever done before. It will be testing, both physically and mentally, but the motivation from my teammates and my own sense of adventure will pull me through. The thought of why I am doing this, to raise money for such a fantastic cause, will definitely convince me to keep going. It will certainly be an unforgettable experience, through which I hope to make a difference for this fantastic local charity by fundraising and raising awareness.”
If you would like to know more about the Great Wall of China Challenge, or you would like to donate, visit https://www.hodgkinsons.co.uk/about-us/corporate-social-responsibility/china-challenge-2019-1.