The National Brain Appeal organises a number of individual challenge events and treks. All funds raised contribute to crucial projects at The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery.
In the last five years, our intrepid supporters have raised more than £300,000 by trekking all four corners of the globe, including trips to South Africa, Cuba, India, Nepal, and Peru.
Our most recent overseas challenge
This year our trek team embarked on the challenge of a lifetime scaling the Great Wall of China. Fundraising Assistant Glen Pickard wrote a daily blog recording his thoughts:
Day 1 - We arrived in Beijing Airport to be met by our local tour rep Roger who would prove to be an indispensable guide to the unforgettable journey in store for us. Armed with three of the most important words of mandarin: niahao, xiexie and pijiu (hello, thank you and beer), we arrived ready to start our challenge.
Day 2 - Our first day of trekking would see us scale the Mutianyu great wall, one of the first sections to be designated a world heritage site by UNESCO. The wall itself was first built during the Qin dynasty in 200BC. Over the centuries it would be extended to reach 8000km long and was estimated to have cost the life of one man for every metre. Built on blood and bones it is regarded by the Chinese as the soul of China. It was impossible not to feel this awesome sense of history as we made our way up steep inclines towards Tower 14. The reward for our efforts was an incredibly fun 1000 feet descent to the bottom of the hill on a toboggan ride.
Day 3 - We spent the day trekking through Black Dragon Pool Park - a series of breathtaking gorges lined with waterfalls and part frozen pools, previously inaccessible to the public.
Day 4 - We scaled the Gubeikou section of the Great wall on what would prove to be the hardest part of the trek but also the most rewarding. Much of the wall in this section is known as wild wall territory. It was incredibly steep and the least well preserved section of the wall we would encounter but beautiful mountains provided a stunning backdrop.
Day 5 - The penultimate days trekking provided its own challenges as we tackled the Jinshanling Great Wall built in 1570 during the Ming dynasty. This was also steep in places with uneven steps and loose rocks making climbing difficult.
Day 6 - For our final day of trekking we ascended The Juyongguan Great Wall at 5.15 am to witness the spectacular sight of daybreak over Beijing. This was the perfect finale to our challenge. After climbing up and down both the north and south passes we finished at 9.00 am and celebrated with champagne. In the evening we sat down to our gala dinner and toasted our achievements before rounding off the night with a few drinks at the aptly named Happy Bar - a few minutes walk from our hotel.
Day 7 - Our last day in China was spent enjoying the delights of Beijing including the world’s largest public square - Tiannamen Square and the Forbidden City - for over 500 years the home of Chinese Emperors. We also had time to see the ‘real’ China as we enjoyed lunch with a Chinese family in a hutong (an old section of the city with narrow streets and alleys) before spending a couple of hours at the Silk Street Market. Our night was spent enjoying Peking duck before a delightful visit to the Beijing opera with its uniquely vibrant and colourful atmosphere.
Many thanks to Simon Clark, Bernadette Clare, Ann Calder, Ian Calder and Jenny McDonald for taking part in this incredible adventure and to our trip doctor Edd Rendell for keeping everyone safe.
For details of upcoming challenges please contact Glen Pickard on 020 3448 4724 or email glen.pickard@uclh.nhs.uk