Catherine and Alex Lane raised over £5,000 for the Whitchurch charity
A MOTHER and son who trekked the Sahara Desert for charity have raised over £5,000 for a Whitchurch hospice.
Catherine Lane, 52, and her son Alex, 28, spent four days in the Sahara, trekking across the desert as part of City Hospice’s Overseas Challenge, which raises money to support the hospice’s work.
The mother and son duo managed to raise £5,060, smashing their fundraising target of £4,250.
But for Catherine and Alex, the challenge was about more than raising money.
“We went through a period where we experienced a lot of deaths within our family. The whole conversation around deaths and support for people who are at end of life became really important to us,” Catherine said.
“My stepdad passed away a couple of years ago, and my mum started volunteering with City Hospice. That really helped, it gave her focus and a new lease on life.
“City Hospice became the obvious choice for us in terms of raising money.”
The hospice offers palliative care to patients with life-shortening illnesses, either from their own homes or from the hospice’s centre in Whitchurch.
“It feels like something wonderful sweeping in and lifting that weight away. They know how end of life impacts on us all and they know how to help you navigate that,” Catherine said.
While the trek gave the duo an opportunity to raise money for a cause close to their hearts, it also had other benefits.
“It was an opportunity for us to have quality time together. We haven’t spent much time together in ages, and it was amazing to go through a shared experience like this one,” said Catherine.
“He really encouraged me, which is what I needed. We kept each other going, and it was really special to do something completely out of the ordinary together.”
The four-day trek across began on February 21, and ended on February 24. It took hikers across Erg Chigaga, which has some of the biggest sand dunes in the Sahara.
“The sand dunes were hard. We started off walking across flat planes, which then gradually led us into the sand dunes. I can’t really walk in sand, so that was really hard,” Catherine said.
“It was such a shock to the system. Alex kept me going that first day, but I remember feeling really anxious. You just have to acclimatise to it.”
The desert tested the group’s resolve, but it also surprised them.
“I couldn’t believe some of the fauna that grows in the Sahara, it was quite incredible,” Catherine said.
“There had been a tropical storm, and almost overnight, there were huge parts of the desert where greenery had sprung up everywhere.
“The group were amazing too, we all kept each other going. We’d all made this commitment to City Hospice and to everyone who’d supported us, so it felt like there was no choice, we just had to do it.”
- If you’re interested in fundraising for City Hospice, email fundraising@cityhospice.org.uk, or call 02920 524150.
