Rachael's Arctic Challenge

Rachael Hirst is raising money for CCAA Kids with Arthritis
“Rachael Hirst's fundraising”

on 13 September 2011

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Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis(JIA) is a rheumatic condition affecting children and young people. CCAA Kids with Arthritis is a volunteer led charity run by people who have been affected by JIA and are passionate about supporting others. We do not receive any statutory funding and fundraise for all our activities. Donations fund the projects and activities we run across the country including our Family Information Weekends. Without donations we simply cannot continue to support families that need our help. Thank you for your support.

Story

I am heading into the Arctic Circle on the 20 February next year in order to raise much needed money for the Children’s Chronic Arthritis Association (http://www.ccaa.org.uk).  I am going to attempt to dog sled over 200Km in 5 days through the wilds of Norway, the most Northern European landmass.

 

I was diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis when I was just 16 so I know how hard it can be for the individual and the families. It affects all aspects of the children’s lives from education to recreational activities. Unfortunately, about one in a thousand children in the United Kingdom suffer from Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA).

  

The challenge will test me both physically and mentally; I’m very aware that I am not known for my physical stamina.  It will be a gruelling event where team work between (wo)man and dog can mean the difference between life and death (and that is not an exaggeration!). My task will be to take ‘my’ team of 4-6 dogs; they will be my sole responsibility for the week, distances of up to 60km per day. 

 This part of the Arctic is wild, not flat, so there will be far too many uphill climbs; where I will have to work with the dogs, helping them by pushing and running alongside the sled, and all this in temperatures as low as -30ºC with nothing but frozen sandwiches for lunch!!   

Please sponsor me as generously as possible and help me reach my target of £5000!  Remember to tick on the gift aid check box to make sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, is added to your donation (at no extra cost to you).

 

Thank you for sponsoring me and supporting me in what will be the challenge of my life time. Please dig as deep as you can, any donations would be gratefully received by mid December.

 

Many thanks x

Donation summary

Total
£9,790.00
+ £1,117.50 Gift Aid
Online
£9,013.00
Offline
£777.00

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