Thanks for visiting my fund raising page !  I still can’t believe that I am joining the team on the Classic FM Sahara Trek next March, and those of you who know me well, will not be surprised to hear that I am just a bit overwhelmed and very excited. Nothing new there then hey !? 

Training is well under way and much easier now the ‘knee arthroscopy’ is out of the way, and I am almost five stone lighter !

We will be trekking across 100k of the desert, relying on our guides and their camels to help us take everything we need for the journey; which will include all our food and drinking water and even our firewood. Water will be precious, so there won’t be much, if any washing. Toilets - well that’s going to be interesting, as there won’t be any. I am reliably informed by the Discover Adventure leader that ‘if you hang back from your walking group and rely on the heat haze, you might find a bit of privacy - otherwise, just get used to it, as we shall all be in the same boat’

It is going to be hot - probably very hot ! It’s also possibly going to be cold - quite cold. Again, I have been advised that sleeping naked in your sleeping bag is the best way to make the ‘science’ work for you during the colder nights in the desert. But another word of warning from our Guide - ‘make sure you tuck your clothes under the bag, because if you experience a sand storm then there is a frantic and very amusing few minutes while a crowd of naked trekkers chase their clothes across the sand.. Hmmm……

We shall be trekking seven hours a day over all types of desert terrain, from the flat stony Hamada and saltpans with their mirages, to the rolling dunes and spectacular climb to the top of Chgaga with it’s incredible views - it’s usually around 100m high, but it is always ‘moving and changing’.

I am very excited about the ‘Night Sky’ - and can’t wait to sleep under the stars and look at The Universe !

We  finally reach ‘tarmac’ on Day 8 and have a long, bumpy and dusty drive back to Marrakech, where the hotel drains will probably block because of the amount of ‘showering’ going on simultaneously!  This is where I hope to make one of my dreams come true, by finding an Arab horse and riding it in the desert. Opportunity for a ‘photo shoot’ here I think, if I remember to pack a flowing white robe and a jewel to stick ‘somewhere’ ?

NOW THE REALLY IMPORTANT BIT - WHY AM I DOING THIS TREK ?......You know I love music and singing and it is a big part of my life.  I am so lucky to have had the opportunity to sing in so many wonderful places. Music has helped me and those I know and love through some really difficult times, and also given us some of our happiest times together! It’s been a great personal healer and restorer.

Classic FM’s own Charity - MUSIC MAKERS is a wonderful ‘grant giving charity’ set up in 2006, with the aim of raising money to fund children’s and adult’s music therapy and education projects across the UK.
This includes music therapy groups for children with special needs and sensory impairments, performances in care homes for people with dementia, music education and after school activities in socially deprived primary schools and rehabilitation schemes to name a few.

Please help me to reach my target and help to make a difference to so many people’s lives.

Thank you, with love, Sue xx


Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: GCap Charities - Classic FM Music Makers gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

So please sponsor me now!