A para-triathlete who defied the odds to become a two-times world champion is encouraging people across Gedling borough to take on their own life-changing challenge in aid of a Mapperley-based hospice.
Steve Judge, who feared he might never walk again after his right leg was partially amputated following a near-fatal car accident in 2002, appealed for intrepid volunteers at the launch of Nottinghamshire Hospice’s Be A Hospice Hero campaign last weekend.
Steve is the official ambassador for the campaign, which is aiming to raise £50,000 for the hospice, in Woodborough Road, by inviting people to sign up for a series of sponsored challenges, including skydives, running events and trekking up mountains and along the Great Wall of China.
There are 10 challenges in all, which is the biggest line-up the hospice has ever assembled. It follows a hugely successful 2017 campaign, when it smashed its target to raise £27,000 of the £2.7m it needs to run the hospice every year.
The full list of charity events is:
Tough Mudder Half – a 5 mile/13-obstacle race at Belvoir Castle on May 12.
Tough Mudder Full – a 10 mile/20+ obstacle race in Grantham, Lincs, on May 19 & 20.
Summer Solstice Skydive – June 23.
Women’s Running 5k and 10k – date TBC
London to Paris Cycle Ride – July 25 to 29.
Tandem Skydive – September 8
Ikano Robin Hood Half and Full Marathon – September 30 in Nottingham.
Ben Nevis Trek – September 28 to 30.
Kilimanjaro Trek – October 11 to 21.
Great Wall of China Trek – October 19 to 27.
Steve, from Sheffield, now makes his living as a motivational speaker and says that the charity is looking for people who want to make 2018 the year they step out of their comfort zone and raise money for a good cause all at the same time.
He said: “In my work I talk a lot about how achieving personal goals can change your life and taking on a challenge like this is an excellent way for anybody to experience that.
“So many people would love to do these kind of challenges and think they’re beyond them, but they are just the sort of people we want to hear from. The idea of jumping out of a plane or running a marathon might sound crazy now, but they should just go for it by signing up and leave thinking about how they’re going to achieve it until later!
“I know from my own life what you can achieve if you set your mind to it and I’m confident that this year’s volunteers will find that out for themselves too, while raising lots of money for a wonderful cause among the way.”
Elaine Hopkins, community fundraiser at Nottinghamshire Hospice, said: “Last year’s Hospice Heroes set the bar extremely high when it came to everybody achieving their aims and raising money, but we wanted to see if we could do even better in 2018.
“I took part in a walk along Hadrian’s Wall last year and had to dig deep along the way by reminding myself of who I would be letting down if I gave up. That spurred me on and the feeling of finally completing it was amazing.
“We want more people to experience that feeling, which is why we want as many people as possible to sign up. I’m taking on the Ben Nevis trek this year and the prospect of the climb is daunting, but I’m determined to achieve it.”
To find out more about its Challenge Events for 2018 or any other aspect of fundraising for Nottinghamshire Hospice contact the fundraising team on 0115 910 1008 or email fundraising@nottshospice.org
