Each year my firm, Mills & Reeve, organises a “charity
challenge” which involves transporting employees to remote and hilly parts of
the country and releasing them into the wild to run, cycle, canoe or swim their
way to civilisation. Some of you may
recall sponsoring me for my previous attempt at a “challenge” – the two days of
hell on wheels that was the Coast to Coast cycle ride. After which I swore I would never do one of
these things again. Oh dear.
This year, on 8 May, we are tackling the Yorkshire 3 Peaks walk –
24.5 miles with a target time of 12 hours, with the small inconvenience of 3
large geological formations to navigate (up and over, sadly, rather than
round). The walk is described as “demanding”,
taking in the summits of Pen-y-ghent (694 metres - 2,276 feet),
Whernside (736 metres - 2,415 feet) and Ingleborough (723 metres - 2,372 feet). It involves 1500 metres of climbing.
But why?
This year I am hoping to raise money for The Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOS), a charity dedicated to saving the orangutan from extinction and to protecting the species’ rainforest home. Here is a link to their website: www.savetheorangutan.co.uk
BOS rescues and rehabilitates hundreds of wild and orphaned
orangutans, who have been displaced by the relentless devastation of their
rainforest home for palm oil production. Palm oil is used in everything from soap to
Kit-Kats (usually innocuously labelled as vegetable oil) and whilst it is
possible to produce it sustainably, the rainforests in Borneo are still being
destroyed at a terrifying rate to clear the land for oil palm plantations.
BOS supports the work of an inspirational lady, Lone
Droscher-Nielsen, who set up a rescue and rehabilitation centre at Nyaru Menteng
in the Kalimantan area of Indonesian Borneo.
The facility was designed to hold up to 100 orphaned orangutans whilst
they go through the process of rehabilitation. In addition to quarantine cages, medical
clinic, and nursery, the project had a vast expanse of forest area in which
orangutans can learn the skills needed to live in the wild. Since 1999, the project has grown immensely,
and now looks after over 600 orangutans. Nyaru Menteng is the largest ape rescue operation in the world. The
project also releases rehabilitated orangutans back into the wild in protected
areas. Lone’s work and the centre were
recently featured on the BBC documentary series Orangutan Diary.
Orangutans are now critically endangered, all due to habitat
destruction to feed the demand for palm oil.
So please help me support the work of Lone and her team at BOS. Blisters and dodgy knees are a small price to
pay to support this vital work to help save these majestic apes.
Some retailers are now committing to sourcing their palm oil
sustainably, to help preserve the rainforests and their wildlife, so please
think about the palm oil issue when you are next shopping.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
