Royal Surrey says thank you

We arrived at Heathrow airport in the wee small hours of the morning, 6 intrepid/mad explorers, to begin our adventure to Kiruna, via Stockholm.  Kiruna is situated 150km north of the Arctic Circle and home to the famous Ice Hotel. 

We met our group leader, Kent, at Kiruna airport and were soon on our way to his kennels to meet his lovely dogs.  We were given teams of 4 to look after for the duration of our challenge and soon became attached to our 4 legged friends who not only had to carry me but all my luggage and the food for our trip in the sled.  

I have to say my team Cili, Udi, Ranya and Balo took great care of me and got me out of several sticky moments with their strength and determination to get where we needed to be and keep up with their beloved master Kent.  I will not forget having to duck under the strangely named reindeer fence (strips of plastic hung from the trees!), mid charge through the forest.  Praying we would not stop when crossing the frozen lake with all my senses telling me the ice was cracking and I really should not be there, but on our way back we were considered competent enough to execute a figure of eight manoeuvre in the middle of the lake, no mean feat with 7 sleds and 31 dogs. 

After a demonstration and instructions on how to harness our teams we were off for a training run in the forest around the kennels.  After a very cold night spent in a lavuu, a kind of wooden Sami style tepee,  it was off into the wilderness for our adventure to begin. 

We travelled 65km on our first day, mainly because the mild conditions in the week leading up to our challenge had resulted in the frozen river we were due to cross not being frozen! So we had to take an alternative route which involved sledding in the dark, an experience I will not forget in a hurry. 

We had wilderness cabins to stay in at the end of a very busy day which were basic but cosy once we had lit the fires, fetched water from the well/stream and got the supper on the go.  The dogs had their beds outside and were given warm food twice a day and snacks during the day.  The dogs ran and ran all day and clearly enjoyed their work.  The scenery was breathtaking, so quiet and unspoilt. 

A trip to the top of the mountain gave us the most stunning views and literally took our breath away.   We stopped for lunch on the trail had very warm, filling soups and stews cooked over the fire we had made.  Tending to our dogs and sorting our firewood and food for the team kept us busy most of the time but we still found time to have a sauna at one of the bigger camps and were fortunate to be able to see the northern lights at the same time.   What a feeling, sitting in the sauna in swimsuits with the northern lights outside and the temperature of -37!  We did venture out into the snow in our costumes for about 10 seconds to see the lights but were very quickly driven back into the sauna to warm up!  It was painfully cold. 

On our way back to the airport we visited the famous ice hotel in Kiruna which was very interesting and the art work within the hotel was amazing with so much detail in the models and carvings in the ice and snow, even more remarkable knowing that it disappears every year, only to be rebuilt when the winter returns.     Then it was time to board our plane back to Heathrow via Stockholm and reflect on our adventures in Sweden.  This was an unforgettable challenge with lots of memories that I will keep for a lifetime.   

Also I would like to give a huge thank you to all the people who sponsored me for this challenge, at the moment the total raised is over £3000 and still counting so again many many thanks for all your support.  

Marc Rowland has raised a phenomenal rate from running the River Kwai Half Marathon in aid of the Royal Surrey Appeal, we are incredibly grateful for all his support!

Here’s what Mark had to say

“My time was a bit slower than I’d of liked, but it was always a bit optimistic perhaps. Anyway, fifth place is pretty good – I will just have to get a bit better next time. 

"It was very hard! We had to be up at 4.30am for the start of the race, and it was up in the hills north of Kanchanaburi, which was beautiful area, but not when you are running through it at 32c!.... 

"It has been a little tricky keeping a handle on sponsorship levels, but I think it is between £800 and £1000 that we have raised, and certainly we’ll be beyond £1000 with pledged sponsorship taken into account.  

"Perhaps more importantly, the trip may have raised awareness of the Royal Surrey Appeal, and the power of Mike’s positive, active and holistic approach to cancer.  

"I have been very proud to do the run ‘with’ Mike and Kate. Finally, a quick thanks to my amazingly supportive brother Julian and the ever wonderful Gosling family in Bangkok.”

Lucinda Colucci has just returned from her adventures in Brazil having raised over £4,000 for the Appeal.  Lucinda spent three days trekking in the Amazon Rainforest, kayaking for three days and two days relaxing and recovering in Rio de Janeiro.

Lucinda wrote in her blog:

“This has been an interesting challenge in that it challenged me in ways I hadn’t anticipated. I was blessed with being part of a small but perfectly balanced group of people who have become good friends. We worked well as a team, particularly during the trickier parts of the trek and everyone seemed to know how to keep each other motivated exactly at the time it was needed.  

"I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone that has sponsored me. I feel very privileged to have had such a life enriching experience and fully intend to continue fund raising and
to take up another challenge in the future.” 

Well done Lucinda.

Please click here to view Lucinda's blog.

Peter Bergman has raised a staggering £4000 from completing the Annapurna 2010 challenge!  After months with a pedometer strapped to his side, here’s what Peter had to say;

“I had a great time a lot of which was the training. I had never done any serious walking before but managed to walk a total of 700 miles after I stated training 6 months before I went to Nepal. Just before the trip I completed a 26 mile charity walk around the Surrey hills. Has it changed my life, yes . I now plan to climb Mt Blanc which is the highest mountain in Europe. Collecting money. I particularly enjoyed standing outside Tesco’s on a Saturday I will never again pass by anyone holding/shaking a tin. People are so nice and generous. Thanks also to you both for your help and support.”

Lauren Beckett completed our GREAT WALL OF CHINA 2010 challenge in September 2010 she has raised nearly £3000 and counting! Here’s what she has to say about her experience;

“It was a daunting but very exciting experience undergoing this challenge solo, but I luckily had a lot of support from friends, family and colleagues as well as the fundraising department, who helped make the trip possible. I kick started my fundraising 6 months prior to departure, by doing a sponsored half marathon, which raised lots of money and increased my fitness. I also held a cake sale in the hospital and spent a day standing at Tesco, which was very lucrative. As I work in St Luke’s radiotherapy department I created a poster and collection tin for the waiting room, in which patients were really generous with donations. It’s a big commitment raising a lot of money but it’s pleasantly surprising how generous people can be, I was very humbled by the experience and very grateful too.

Generally I am an active, physically fit person, but I helped prepare my body for the task ahead by walking to and from work (3 mile round trip) every day for a month in my walking boots, as well as running a few times a week. On the trip, there was a variety of age and fitness levels, no one struggled (apart from with some of the heights).

So, to round up- I loved the experience, it’s great to be outside all day, look at some point in the distance and say ‘I’m going to walk all day until I get there’ was very fulfilling. The atmosphere and scenery was fantastic and I’d recommend it to anyone who likes outdoor exercise and a charitable challenge.” 

Bolt Round the Holt was huge success this year! Please click here for a round up of the 2011 event.

Have you raised money for the Royal Surrey County Hospital, would you like us to add your story and a picture? Please contact the Fundraising Department with your details and we'll be happy to add your event to this page.