Each year, Team Sempre take on a trek in aid of the children’s charity, Over The Wall (OTW), who help children facing health challenges or disability to have the opportunity to be children.
Hannah Donohoe is a key member of our sales & marketing team and looks after Sempre’s fundraising events and partnerships. She took the lead in organising this years challenge. Hannah is passionate about the charity and bringing the company together to do something so positive. We asked her about the challenge.
What inspired the Cape Wraith 400 km challenge?
Hannah: This will be our sixth challenge for OTW – in that time, we have walked the South Downs Way, the Jurassic Coast, the Thames and the whole District Line. We wanted to make this year’s challenge more inclusive for the whole team who are dotted all around the UK and Ireland. So we approached the trek differently and opted to complete an accumulation of remote hikes, allowing people to choose their own route and their own commitment to distance.
Deciding on the team distance was fun. One suggestion was the distance to the moon, but having looked it up, (384,400 km) we decided that may be unachievable in a day! Ultimately, we settled on taking on one of the UK’s hardest trails virtually, and in a day: The Cape Wraith Trail. The challenge has a total distance of almost 400km.
You set yourselves a mountain to climb and you did it! Was it tougher/easier than you thought or as anticipated?
Hannah: I had gone out on some training walks ahead of the event and had prepared myself (unlike some!!). I think for me, the walk was as difficult as I thought it was going to be. Tough in parts, I hadn’t expected the hills at the end, or the river crossings (*more on that later)
Afnane: I had built it up in my head, and thought it was going to be way harder than it was on the day. It helped that the sun was shining. When we left in the morning, I didn’t tell my friend that we were off for a 20 km walk. She wasn’t too pleased with me come the afternoon. I hope she’ll forgive me. The best bit was knowing that we were all doing a trek somewhere in the UK at the same time together. We kept in constant contact on our phones, sharing the highs and the lows.
How many of you took part in total and was it difficult persuading people to take on such a huge challenge?
Hannah: There were 19 of us on the day. With walkers in the Peak District, London, Surrey, the Midlands, East Sussex, the Chiltern Hills, and in Ireland & Belgium.
Tell me more about Over the Wall?
Hannah: Over The Wall (OTW), is a UK-based charity for children and young people with health challenges and disabilities to discover a world of mischief and magic. The charity provides a safe place for these children to step outside of their comfort zone, establish friendships and build confidence through meaningful and exciting activities. These amazing experiences are in-person and also online.
For parents:
‘Camp gave him the ability to be that bubbly, can-do child that he’s always been’ (Helen, camper parent)
For the children:
‘Over The Wall Made Me Confident. Over The Wall made me feel special. Over The Wall looked after me because they have brilliant staff, volunteers, doctors, and nurses. Over The Wall made me feel safe’. (Milo, Camper)
The fundraising total keeps going up – How do you drive donations?
Hannah: We have a really strong relationship with the charity having worked with them for a number of years and seen first hand the good work that they do through helping to set up a camp. We also have team members who have children with a childhood illness and can benefit from the amazing work that Over The Wall does giving a personal connection. That also really helps.
What were the highlights?
Hannah: For the Peak District team, it was crossing the wild river where the bridge had washed away. That was a huge challenge, and only one (and a half) team members fell in. It was lucky it was a hot day and they dried off fairly quickly!
Were there any low points?
Hannah: Getting up so early on a Saturday! But the views made up for it. It was disappointing not to have the opportunity to stop for a second lunch. The Peak District crew also accidentally gate-crashed a wedding mid-walk!
How do you feel now reflecting on your achievement?
Hannah: Tired, but so happy and super proud that we did it
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