Blisters? Check! Achy limbs? Check! A combined 490,000 steps? Check!

October 4, 2017 Written by Katie Elliott

Tags: challenge DofE fundraising marketing PR

And yet Stand lived to tell the tale! (Never underestimate the endurance and enthusiasm of Stand-ees).

Whilst the nation enjoyed a lazy Saturday morning lie in, Stand were up alive and kicking, aboard the 6.30am train from St Pancras – Bamford, Derbyshire. Why you may ask? To embark on the first-ever DofE Adventure Fundraising weekend, trekking a limb aching 25km in the Peak District!

At Stand, we’re all about practicing what we preach and this weekend saw the team donning their hiking boots and dusting off the sleeping bags in support of one of our clients, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

Here we are getting some much needed limbering and stretching in, as we prepared to embark on our trek! Some were quick to say ‘all the gear and no idea’ and they may have a point, hence deciding to err on the side of caution and opt for the navigated route.

Along the way we enjoyed (endured) mountainous views, muddy terrain, river crossing and rock climbing in all weather conditions. The beautiful scenes of the Peak District and the occasional visitor certainly made up for any weary moments and sore feet though. And so did the people helping us every step of the way.

From fellow trekkers, motivational locals and dedicated volunteers, everyone came together to encourage and cheer each other on. The last 5km consisted of a mountain trek, with exhausted Stand-ees questioning whether the dots at the top were mountain goats, or in fact people. Getting to the top to see for ourselves, made crossing the finish line an even greater achievement.

We celebrated in true Stand style at Base Camp, with live music, and campfires all put on by DofE, before giving our walking boots one last run for their money and heading back to our tents for some much earnt sleep.

The event itself has managed to raise an incredible £100,000 so far, with donations still flooding in. The funds will be put directly towards continuation of its life-changing work, helping young people from all backgrounds enrich their lives, improve their prospects and have a positive impact on the wider community.

Stand have managed to raise 89% of our target so far through a colourful raffle, an Adventure inspired Stand quiz night and the generosity of our family and friends for donations and support.

Want to check out a little video from our trek? Then find our Vimeo video here

And there’s still time to help us reach our target via our Just Giving Page. Please visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/signposted-one-day-1243887f-89b7-418d-beda-113a2b4f0491

Thank you!