Hello friends and fam! A lot of you have been asking what I would like for my birthday...

Why this challenge?

I have decided to do the UK 3 Peaks challenge in 30 hours to celebrate the start of my 30s (we Asians love our numerology)! Being in nature is something that always brings me peace. Ending my chaotic 20s on a peaceful note would be lovely and doing something scary but rewarding would be a neat way to start a new decade. The best gift for me would be knowing that you support me and love me (in all my terrible decisions – No, I have not trained for this. Yes, it is not a good idea). Any material gift I would like to dedicate to organisations that make our world a kinder, gentler, and more hopeful place. Here’s to wishing that the next decade is more beautiful than the past one!

Who am I fundraising for?

Any money that you would spend on a gift for me, please feel free to give it to a charity. I'm keen to fundraise for Oxpal (https://oxpal.org/), the White Helmets, and RNLI. If none of these appeal to you, I'm happy for you to donate it to something you find more meaningful (other recommendations at the end!).

I know we're all in a cost-of-living crisis. If you can't spare anything, except some great taste, another very meaningful gift would be if you could add a song to the Spotify playlist that I'll be listening to during the challenge: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0cn0AybBT0oZVsAajhdTm2?si=155e2a6a49dc4eb3&pt=f4929ff5da7e8b7a7c3bc4fa7dce60eb

I'm looking for something with spunk... a bit of funk... definitely something groovy... songs that will get me over those mountains... Something that reminds me of you.

Thank you for making this birthday a really special one.

Why Oxpal, the White Helmets, and RNLI?

When I was younger, I believed in fairness and justice. I believed people wanted to be good to each other. I believed individuals could change the world. Looking back, I feel it was very much a child’s foolishness. The years have made me wiser and more realistic about politics and human nature. I’m sad I lost most of my childish hope and optimism. However, not everyone has and, for my birthday, I’m clinging on to the tiny bits of child Claire for just a little longer!

Palestine and Syria hold a special place in my heart. The stories of those places are fundamentally different but these are places I often feel I’ve lost hope for. Yet, people, for whom I have deep respect and love, have shown me that they haven’t given up, that there is joy to be found in unlikely places, that there is always faith in a better future.

Oxpal is a small NGO that prepares young doctors in the West Bank and Gaza for future medical practice through a virtual classroom approach. Oxpal builds a mutual education partnership that helps improve clinical preparedness and confidence of medical students in Palestine. Their work is one emblematic solution to providing medical education in conflict-affected areas. For transparency: Kiran is a board member.

The White Helmets are a self-organised group of volunteer frontline responders who played (and still play) a pivotal role in responding to emergency needs in areas choked off by the Assad regime. Aid for that part of the world is dwindling rapidly but grassroot organisations are essential and vital for the resilience of a society.

In no particular order, other organisations that I think are worth donating to: RNLI, GiveDirectly, Médecins Sans Frontières, Action Contre la Faim, Planned Parenthood, BRAC, SOS Racisme, Fondation Lilian Thuram, any local homeless shelter (especially those for ladies and children). I don’t believe one cause is more important than another. I’m not particularly connected with or well educated on environmental and climate causes but those are just as those on the social front. If you want to invest money in a small company changing the world instead of a charity, you go do that! If you just want to buy a Too Good To Go bag from your local Greggs and give it to someone out on the streets, do it! Just a simple act of kindness would be fab as a gift.