The end of September saw SportsAid Week celebrate its third consecutive year with schools all over the country getting in on the action. We hope you all had a fantastic time and enjoyed some exciting challenges, whilst raising money for this great charity. Here we take a look at what it’s all about and talk to Kate Spark about how her passion for the charity took her into the Norwegian wilderness.

Who are SportsAid?

are a national charity that provides young, talented athletes – many of whom are aspiring to be the country’s next Olympic, Paralympic, Commonwealth and world champions – with financial support, recognition and personal development opportunities in the early stages of their sporting journey.

The charity helps over 1,000 athletes every year, the majority aged between 12 and 18 years old,  across more than 60 sports by providing them with an average award of £1,000 and the recognition and encouragement that goes with it. Established in 1976, Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge is now Patron .

The charity launched SportsAid Week in 2016, to mark its 40th anniversary, as a fundraising drive designed to support the next generation of athletes striving to represent Great Britain. The initiative is now hosted annually with the money raised assisting young sports stars with training and competition costs, including equipment, accommodation and transport, during the critical early stages of their careers. The central element of SportsAid Week is the #MyMiles challenge, encouraging people to be active together and to nominate others to join them.

Going the extra mile

As a long term supporter of the charity, Kate Spark went to the extreme for SportsAid earlier this year. She decided to take part in an event organised by IGO Adventures called ‘N60° – The Norwegian Challenge’ to help fundraise.

The challenge for Kate was seven days long; three days of training and acclimatisation, followed by a four day journey in the snowy wilderness of Norway on skis and by foot. Kate completed the 37km trek a day while sleeping in a tent in -21 degrees at night with rations to keep her going. Kate says it was a challenge she never imagined achieving and whilst completely out of her comfort zone she described the experience as “one of the most memorable weeks of her life”. With £5,000 raised for SportsAid too we’d say it was a success!

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more information on how you can raise money for SportsAid visit www.sportsaid.org.uk

For more on IGO’s adventure euphoria challenges in the world’s most spectacular wildernesses visit www.igoadventures.com