Great walk of China

20 June 2011

A team of intrepid fundraisers have spent five days trekking in China - raising more than £23,000 for Headway in the process.

The team of four was led by Jane Hales, whose son Simon sustained a severe brain injury while at university. Simon and Jane then featured in a Channel 4 documentary called My New Brain to raise awareness of the effects of brain injury (see the Winter 2010 edition of Headway News). Jane was joined on the trek by Paul Freeman, Kathryn MacDonald and Richard Broughton - all friends and colleagues from Barnsdale Lodge Hotel in Rutland.

After 24 hours of travelling, which was a challenge in itself, the quartet began their trek by walking for two days along the Great Wall of China, not far from Beijing.

"The time we spent on the wall was fascinating," said Jane. "You could immediately get a feel for the immensity of the wall as we only touched on a very small part of it.

"We did feel a little over-dressed in our walking boots though, particularly when we encountered a group of Chinese tourists in
stilettos!

"The next three days were spent trekking along unrestored sections in more remote areas, which were often very steep and were without side walls. It was certainly tougher than our first two days; one morning we had to climb 1,000 steps before 8am!

"Despite the challenging conditions, we were often befriended by local famers' wives who offered to carry our bags! It was truly humbling to see the poor quality of life they lead and yet they were always smiling.

"It really was an experience of a lifetime and the fact that we raised so much money makes it even more special."

Browse the links on the right to find out how you can have your own adventure of a lifetime and raise money for Headway at the same time.