Sarah puts best foot forward for Great Wall of China trek

Our senior associate Sarah Dickinson is embarking on a brief of a different kind in a bid to raise £4,000 for the Alzheimer’s Society by trekking on the Great Wall of China.

This is the first time that Sarah, an insulin-dependent diabetic whose late father suffered with Alzheimer’s, has embarked on such a venture.

The family lawyer will join a 40-strong group in a six-day challenge to trek more than 110km of the Great Wall from Huangyaguan Valley in the Yanshan Mountains and progress towards Juyongguan.

It will be autumn in China and temperatures will plummet to zero degrees at night in the Mountains – rising to over 20 degrees in the day. Her kit will comprise thermal underwear, hat, gloves, sun-hat and factor-50 sun-screen.

Sarah is making home-made cakes and biscuits which she hopes will go down a treat at Wetherby Market on Thursday 26 July to help boost funds for her October mission.

Says Sarah: “Our family received invaluable support from the Alzheimer’s Society during my father’s struggle with the condition and I’m aiming to raise £4,000 which will help to support carers and enable valuable research to continue to seek out a cure.

“Making cakes for the market is my latest fundraising initiative and I’ve had great support from the team at Jones Myers who have been sampling my test baking. I look forward to seeing lots of shoppers being fortified by our delicious range of cakes and biscuits.”

The Jones Myers team have also thrown themselves into the spirit of the fundraising occasion by donating £1 to wear patriotic coloured clothing for the Diamond Jubilee and were served up strawberries, meringues and cream and cakes. Those who opted not to dress up were fined £2.  Additional funds were raised during Lent via an office swear box and colleagues are also supporting Sarah’s car boot sales with another one lined up at Pannal, Harrogate on Saturday 1 September.

Sarah’s current training includes twice-weekly sessions at her local gym to increase her fitness levels and she is trying to walk a minimum often miles a week with her rucksack to build up her stamina levels.

Adds Sarah, who will be away between 6-17 October: “It will be a personal challenge to manage my diabetic control in rural China as food, exercise and weather conditions all impact on it so it’s important that I’m as fit and prepared as possible to meet the exciting challenges ahead!”

For more information / to donate please go to http://www.justgiving.com/SarahDickinson-GreatWall or contact Sarah via Jones Myers on 0113 2460 055.