Unsure of what an Open Challenge means? Well, you’re not alone! An Open Challenge is a great opportunity for an individual or group of friends to take part in a Challenge whilst raising  funds for a Charity of their choice. Most people sign up as an individual and so our Challenges are filled with people of different ages, backgrounds, interests and supporting a mixture of Charities.  But you will all have one common interest…..to achieve your Challenge of a lifetime for a worthy cause.

Next steps:

• Choose an Open Challenge
• Choose a Charity of your choice and inform them of your exciting Challenge and that you’d like to raise funds for them.
• Choose your payment option:

-          Fundraising :  Pay a registration fee of £295 (dependant on Challenge) directly to us. Then pledge to raise the sponsorship target which will need to be with your chosen Charity by the date agreed when you sign up with them. The cost of airport taxes are paid by the participant so we will invoice you directly for this. In this option the Charity pay your expedition costs.

-          Payment and Fundraising :  Pay a registration fee of £295 (dependant on Challenge) directly to us. Then pay for the costs of the expedition yourself directly to The Ultimate Travel Company. We will invoice you approx.8 weeks before the trip departs with the final tour costs plus airport taxes. You can then simply choose a charity to support and endeavour to raise as much sponsorship as possible.

• Complete and return your application and medical form and return to: Ultimate Challenges  

Take a closer look at our Open Challenges……there’s a Challenge waiting for you! 

  ***2013 DATES JUST RELEASED!!***

Last time I wrote, there was a lot of deliberating about road, mountain, cyclo cross and whether to go for old or new. Well, I decided upon road and new. So I busied my evenings with scouring the internet to see what was on offer…..I finally stumbled across the Felt Z95 2012 from Evans Cycles. The test ride alone sealed the bike’s fate and it was to be mine!

I decided to take Evans up on their Ride2Work scheme which I thoroughly recommend for anyone commuting to work and finds paying out the full cost of a new bike rather daunting. Your company buys the bike initially and you repay them on a monthly basis through your salary. What could be simpler?!

I never thought a bike could bring me so much pleasure but this Felt has succeeded. Here you can see for yourself, my new and very exciting addition:

If you have any thoughts or bicycle stories then we’d like to hear them.

Happy Friday!

1. Break your sponsorship target up into small manageable amounts. Don’t expect to raise £3000 from one event, or one request. Instead aim to raise a certain amount each month in the lead up to your event.
2. Set up an online fundraising page. You can do this through Justgiving or Virgin Money Giving. Many charities now have their own fundraising sites incorporated in their website so do check with them before you set up a site.
3. Don’t be afraid to ask. The worst someone can do is say no. Send your online fundraising page to as many people as you can. Ask your friends to send it on to their friends. Are you organising a party? Ask your local shops and businesses to donate items that you can then raffle or auction. Can you get the company you work for to help?
4. Give something back in return. We’ve found that people are usually more willing to part with their money if they can get something back in return. Can you do a bake sale, or organise an event with a raffle or auction?
5. Use your skills. Think about what you’re good at? Can you raise money by using your own skills?  My favourite example of this was a professional photographer who took part in one of our Kili trips. He decided that he would take a photo every degree from the summit – so 360 photos. He then sold as many of these photos off for £100 each before he went on the trip, with people picking the degree that they wanted. He only needed to sell 36 to hit his fundraising target. We might not all have such a saleable skill but most people have something that they could do, whether it’s baking cakes or making greetings cards.
6. Tell everyone what you’re doing and why you’re doing it – including your local newspaper, radio station etc. Set up a blog or twitter account and keep people updated on your training and fundraising progress.
7. Recruit people to help you. This will greatly increase your fundraising network. Can your friends and family ask their friends to support you?  If you’re organising an event can you get 5 of your friends to sell 10 tickets to their friends? Do you have friends with skills that could be auctioned off at an event?
8. Use a variety of methods. Don’t expect to hit your fundraising target simply by sending your online fundraising page to all your contacts. Explore a range of different ways to raise your sponsorship – your chosen charity will be able to help with ideas and fundraising materials.
9. Don’t forget to say a big THANK YOU. When someone does donate towards your sponsorship please remember to say thank you. Send everyone who helped you reach your sponsorship target a letter or email to let them know all about your adventure.

Unfortunately there are no quick fixes to hitting your sponsorship target – it does take time and dedication. Don’t forget that your chosen charity will be able to provide a huge amount of support to help you raise your sponsorship target.

Good Luck!

That’s a very tough question as I’ve been very lucky to have visited many amazing and fascinating places around the world.  I loved the south island of New Zealand; you’ll struggle to find a better place to enjoy so many awesome outdoor activities.

• What support will a participant get from a Charity?

Every participant gets full support from the Action Medical Research events team from the moment you register for an event to the finish line.  We offer help with both fundraising and training for your challenge so you are not left on your own. We are always here to offer advice and help.

• What would your advice be for anyone seeking to try a Charity Challenge but anxious about it?

Go for it, I can guarantee that you will not regret your decision.  Many people are anxious about joining events on their own but the truth of it is, everyone is in the same position and keen to support each other.  You’ll come on an event nervous and anxious but you’ll leave feeling on top of the world and with a load of new friends for life.  Challenging yourself and raising vital funds for a charity are two of the most rewarding things that you can possibly do, so what’s not to like?

• Your number one fundraising tip? 

Be inventive – don’t just expect to raise your money by posting updates on facebook, it probably won’t work!  Organise some events, bake some cakes and sell them, wash cars…there are so many ways of getting the money in, you just need to be a bit creative.  Also don’t leave it until the last minute – hmm that’s two top tips isn’t it?!☺

• What’s the most outrageous fundraising event you have been involved in or heard of?

Not sure if it’s the most outrageous but the one that always makes me laugh is an ‘underwater javelin competition’- that is pure genius!

• If you were on a desert island and you could have 3 items…

I’d want a boat, a compass and a water purifier, is that allowed?!

Thanks Matt!

There are plenty of energy bars, gels, etc on the market. These definitely have their place but we have discovered that consuming them on a daily basis whilst on a trip can become a little to hard to stomach.

Here, we offer our top 5 alternatives:

• Haribo Tangfastics
• Percy Pigs
• Bounce balls
• Biltong
• Nuts and Fruit mix

Snacks are provided on all of our trips at points along your route, however, we have come to learn that people like to take their own treats.

What’s your favourite snack?

Then I thought, we should organise this trip for anyone, so we have, join us in November on our brand new Open Challenge to Everest. 

Whilst most of us can only dream of summiting this mighty mountain, this stunning 19 day trek allows us to become seduced by the myths and excitement of Mount Everest and the dynamic region of the Sherpa people. We will have the opportunity to explore its lower majesty. Along the way, we will witness ancient Tibetan Buddhism as we visit and learn and become inspired from our guides.

What a view on a Monday morning!

Come on, what’s better than 14 days in the longest, highest mountain range in the world!

Nepal Himalaya. It has everything – magnificent mountains, phenomenal trekking, the friendliest locals going, fascinating culture and breathtaking views.

• Most interesting animal you’ve seen on a trip?

On a trip across the Manyara Plains in Africa we saw all sorts – giraffes etc – and it’s always a little disconcerting when you go out of your tent at night and see 3 sets of hyena eyes reflecting the light from your head torch.

My favourite animal I’ve seen was in Patagonia when we spent an afternoon watching a condor – they’re amazing birds. The following morning we awoke to find fresh puma droppings on the edge of the camp! Patagonia is special.

• Anyone seeking to try an Open Challenge but anxious -  what would your advice be?

Don’t be! The people on Open Challenges are always friendly and the groups  bond quickly. All the trips are extremely well put together and you’ll be well looked after. Also Open Challenges tend to be smaller groups, so by the end of the trip everyone is especially close and tend to keep regularly in touch well after the challenge is over.

• Where in the world is on your tick list?

I’m planning a climbing trip in Tajikistan for 2013 – the Pamir mountains are a big draw for me. I’d also like to visit Pakistan in the near future and trek in the Karakoram. Other than that I want to go and do a long weekend in Beirut very soon – I love Lebanese food, and its apparently got some epic night-life!

• Best value piece of kit you own?

My Paramo jacket – they make by far the best waterproofs going.

• If you were on a desert island and you could have 3 items…

My leatherman knife, a good book and Ray Mears.

The more challenges and adventures you go on, you soon learn what you can and what you can’t do without. Over the years, we have come to know what our favourite pieces of kit are and thought this may be useful to share:

• Lisa: Buff - some of you may wonder what this is! A tube of material that can be used in 100 different ways.
• Stef: Stuff Sacks – pop your clothes in these, squeeze all the air out and magically everything is compressed to half the size!
• Connie: Multi-tool – you never know when you may need a pair of pliers, a saw, corkscrew or a nail file?!
• Rich: Compass – I won’t explain this as I think we all know what this is and it’s function. Rich just likes to know where he is in the world!

What would your essential item be?!

Stef

For many of us the New Year is seen as the perfect opportunity to kick start our fitness routines and if you’re anything like me it’s not enough just to say I WILL do more exercise this year. I need to know that if I don’t get out there and get training there will be consequences. This year I am running the London Marathon in April and no training will be mean 26.2 miles of pain.

So, why not set yourself a goal, something that is happening later on in the year and that you will need to train for. Something like a charity challenge?!

Why not check out our website for some ideas.

Firstly, I needed to make a list of factors to consider:

• Budget
• New or second-hand
• Make
• Components

Having looked extensively on the internet and at second-hand websites I decided a new road bike was for me….mainly because I couldn’t find anything suitable on ebay, gum tree or pre-loved and because I imagine it would be a little like buying someone elses already worn-in shoes. I feel a bike is unique to it’s owner.

Now where do I stand on the make? Scott, Specialized, Felt, Trek, Giant…..all of which have some cracking bikes for around the £600 mark. So I read reviews, saught advice from cycle shops and all said the only way to compare makes is to get on and test ride. So I decided to pop into Evans Cycles and test ride the Pinnacle Dolomite Two and thoroughly enjoyed it. Smooth ride, comfortable reach and for the finishing touch it’s complete with Tiagra gears(one up from Sora). Unfortunately,  I have been slightly deterred by some not so complimentary reviews online. (I value cyclists’ opinions). So decided I needed a comparison. Enter the Felt Z95 2012 (pictured below-courtesy of www.evanscycles.com).

I shall be test riding this at the end of the month(once in stock) so will keep you posted on my progress.

Stef’s road bike quest continues…..