On 20th – 22nd September 2019, 11 members of the Holmes & Hills team, accompanied by a friend of the firm, and 6 support staff, will take on Oxfam’s Trailwalker 2019 to raise vital funds for Oxfam and The Gurkha Welfare Trust. They will be walking 100km across the South Downs in 30 hours or less. The challenge itself is the equivalent of two and a half marathons whilst climbing the ascent of Ben Nevis and Snowdon combined, non-stop. And let’s not mention the lack of sleep! It will be a huge challenge both physically and mentally. Training has already begun for most, and the team have embarked on a training walk at the end of January with many more planned.
The two Charities this event supports are Oxfam and The Gurkha Welfare Trust. Oxfam’s belief is that in a world rich in resources, poverty isn’t inevitable. They aim to help fight poverty on three fronts – acting fast to save lives in emergencies, and staying to help people rebuild their lives; working on long-term projects with communities determined to shape a better future for themselves; and lastly campaigning for genuine, lasting change by trying to influence the decisions of the powerful to root out the causes of poverty on a global scale.
The Gurkha Welfare Trust is probably less known, but their vital work ensures that Gurkha veterans, their widows and wider communities can live with dignity in their home country of Nepal. They provide financial, medical and community aid through 21 Area Welfare Centres spread across traditional Gurkha recruiting areas in Nepal, as well as one in India. They also have two Residential Care Homes providing round-the-clock care to those veterans & widows who would otherwise struggle to live alone. There are around 400 staff working in the region. Additionally, they offer advice and support for retired Gurkhas and their families in the UK who choose to settle here.
The team have a minimum fundraising target of £1,400 per team of 4 walkers, so a total of £4,200. Fundraising efforts have started by offering a Christmas gift wrapping service for Holmes & Hills colleagues, which got a great response. A number of additional activities are planned over the course of the next 6 months, including themed dress down days in the office, sweepstakes for various sporting events, a Bric-a-Brac sale in the office car park, an Easter Egg Hunt and a quiz night. The team will also be holding a “Walk a Marathon” event in June, with a celebration at our Halstead office at the end of the walk. Some of these events will be open to the public, and more details will be released in due course.
If you would like any further information about the event, or if you would like to support us with our fundraising, please do get in touch.
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