The 10 in 10 Gambia Challenge
Maxwell Stephens are thrilled to be sponsoring this amazing charitable event, raising money for some incredible causes both here in the UK and in The Gambia.
What is the 10 in 10 Challenge?
One of our very own recruitment consultants, Michael Bleasby, brought our attention to an amazing charitable adventure he and his friend, Tom Walker, had decided to embark upon. Between the two of them they decided to take on the epic challenge of running the full length of Gambia (that’s 260 miles in 10 days!), testing themselves to the absolute the limit yet allowing them to give towards incredible projects and the people of Gambia, as well as their chosen charities back home.
Michael’s motivation for taking on the challenge stems from his past as a competitive runner. As a former middle distance track athlete, running has never fully escaped his life and over the last 5 years he’s found himself falling in and out of love with the sport… in recent years he has been craving something that will allow him to using his running ability for a purpose and to raise money and awareness for organisations close to his heart.
A small country, which is known as the smiling coast of Africa, Gambia is also one of the most poverty stricken countries in the world but, despite this, the local people and communities remain so happy and grateful for what they do have. Our aim is to do good for the people and wildlife of the Gambia, as well as support local causes back home. This got us thinking of what more could we do. What could we do that’s different but will make a big impact? This is when the 10 in 10 run Gambia challenge was born.
Help Us Change Lives
We are aiming to raise £10,000 for the people of Gambia as well as our chosen charities however we hope to smash this record to make as big an impact as possible.
Please help us and give whatever you can, no matter how small, every little bit can make a huge difference!
The Charities
Michael and Tom will be running through one of the most amazing countries in Africa, with breathtaking landscapes along the way. It's hard to imagine what it's like living in Gambia without ever experiencing it. This country is one of the poorest countries in the world, with the average wage being less than £1 per day- the simple things that we have in life here in the UK are near impossible to achieve for some Gambians, a clean water supply being one. Despite this, the Gambian people remain grateful for what they do have. They will be raising vital funds to build wells to provide clean water for remote village communities & schools. They will also be launching our 'running at the poachers campaign' to protect the worlds rarest primate who call Gambia home, the Temminck's Red Colobus Monkey. The funds raised will go towards developing incredible community projects to assist the people, the wildlife and the economy of the Gambia.
1 in 4 people suffer with mental health conditions. Just like cancer we are all connected to mental health in someway, whether it's a friend, family member or even just someone you know. Sadly, both Tom and Michael are connected to people who have lost their battle with mental health recently. One of the main reasons for taking on this huge challenge is to shout from the roof tops about mental health, we want people to be aware of mental health issues and know that if you are in the darkest place at the moment, life does get better. Speak out to friends, family or a charity help line. This challenge will test our mental endurance, our ability to keep focused when times get hard, when we feel like we cant run any further, we will step in the shoes of someone who suffers with mental health on a daily basis. Let's spread the word about mental health!
Just like mental health, we are all connected to cancer is someway. There are around 363,000 new cancer cases in the UK every year, that's more than 990 every day… and that’s rising year on year. It’s extremely rare now to find anyone who hasn’t had a close family member or friend that has been effected by cancer. The NHS Darlington Memorial Hospital Cancer Ward is close to both of Michael and Tom's hearts as we have seen the work it does for the people of Darlington who have suffered and is still suffering with Cancer.