Firstly Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page, I

appreciate if you are here its because you too want to make a difference
 and you absolutely can, by sponsoring me on this challenging endeavour
as I raise awareness and money for Turn2Us you will be helping the
people in this country that really need help the most, changing lives
and giving back - so a massive thankyou from me and them.

So what exactly are you sponsoring ? good question - heres the basics.

1.Flying from the UK - I dont like flying at all (in fact its pretty
close to a phobia ) so already this is a major task for me,

2.Joining up with a hopefully merry band of trekkers in order to put the
months of practise treks into action as we don our packs and hitch a
ride to the craggy, barren backdrop of icelands most rural areas.

3. Make Camp (not a keen camper so again this is a test for me)

4.Next morning set off early with day packs (approx 15kgs) to trek across the tundra for 12 hours and over 20kms of varying terrain and weather, a large case of massive endurance and mind over matter. (heres where the months of practice comes in to play - well hopefully)

5. Make camp and eat camp food...(again not something that will come easy)

6.Repeat for 3 more days until we reach our end point after 80km
travelled and lots of different scenary, terrain, weather and climate.

7.Make our way to reykjavik to (hopefully) have a celebratory brewski
with everyone that has raised a shedload of cash for amaxing causes and finally get to sleep in an actual bed.

8. Flight home ( why cant we just walk ??)

And thats the trek in a nutshell, of course ive over simplified it as its
definately going to be a challenge, its exetremely long walks, with a
very heavy pack, over uneven surfaces, varying gradients and differing
extreme climates in the wet, cold then heat all in a few days.

Also this is all during the school holidays, when I will be missing the
precious time with my kids which i cherish, so this really will be a big
sacrifice and one that deserves a great reward for the charity.

However if I can raise the money needed and the profile of this cause it will all be worth it.

turn2us are an amazing uk poverty charity that helps People on our doorstep who genuinely need a hand out of their situation. 

You see Poverty effects everyone at some point in their lives and sometimes it’s obvious sometimes not.

looking back at childhood times when I didn’t get that toy for my birthday or the food I liked and wanted everyday as child I thought it sucked and my mum was being terrible.. 

As a parent I realise it was more likely a lack of money and opportunity.

Everyone remembers the 2007 financial crisis, overnight many seemingly affluent people became poverty stricken due to the burden and losses of the crisis, people who were smart, normal and hard working had their freedom taken away and they didnt know how to cope with the change.

In fact you don’t have to be destitute to live in poverty, it’s not just
the homeless in the UK, there seems to be a common misconception about what poverty is. 

Here’s a definition of poverty that really hits home to me:

Poverty is not meeting the “Minimum Income Standard’ which is defined as how much you need ‘in order to have the opportunities and choices necessary to participate in society’.”

You see poverty is anti freedom, if you don’t have enough income to have opportunities and choices you cannot be free.

this is something ive certainly felt before and im sure most people can resonate with on some level.

The stats for Poverty in the UK are shocking too: 

Around 14.2 million people live in poverty in the UK: 8.5 million adults, 4.5 million children and 1.4 million pensioners - thats 1 in 5 people...

People with disabilities are much more likely to be living in poverty: 48.3% of households in poverty live in families with a disabled person

People in work also live in poverty: 60% of people in poverty in Britain live in a household where someone is in work.

Renters are disproportionately affected by poverty: 70% of people in poverty live in rented accommodation.

A lot of people who do not struggle for income each month will say “then get a job or better paid one” - and as illustrated above that’s not
always the solution. 

As someone who absolutely understands and believes in the power of mindset, I recognise that many people living in poverty do not even realise they could help themselves or how to, to get out of it. 

And

that’s why turn2us are a life changer, they offer support, guidance and

advice, help solve tricky situations and give people space and time to

think and act before making things worse. 

Their intervention could be the difference between life and death as many people who commit suicide each year do so due to financial burden and the inability to see a way out of a deepening hole. 

The great news is we can all play our part, this isn’t about helping people who won’t help themselves as some suggest.

this is about understanding that everyone needs support at some point and if you are happy enough to be in a situation now where you can afford to sponsor me to trek 20km + per day, across harsh terrain for a week sleeping in a tent and being extremely uncomfortable to help out someone who really needs it - then please do and do so with pride. 

Please share this to as many people as you can the target is ambitious but acheivable, and I know that together we can all make a huge difference in peoples lives - 

Remember these could be neighbours, the people you sit next to on the bus, the kids in the park, the nurse at the hospital or the worker in your coffee shop- real people with real lives. 

I and they thank you in advance for your support

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