Catherine Pettett achieved her ultimate goal by achieving a 5 day hike along the awesome man made Great Wall of China, raising a fantastic £2,7050 for the Seamoor Chemotherapy & Day Treatment Unit at North Devon District Hospital.
Catherine said “I took part in the Great Wall of China Trek to raise funds for the Seamoor Unit at the North Devon District Hospital and in memory of my amazing Mum who sadly passed away from cancer in August 2015. It was an amazing experience. It was certainly not for the faint hearted, and in places very steep. Each day on the wall, it was a different and very challenging experience, especially on my third day when my muscles went into spasm. This was incredibly painful, but due to my sheer determination I was going to complete this challenge and getting to the top, whether I was in pain or not!
The whole experience of walking the Great Wall of China was amazing, it was so rewarding but challenging. I got an opportunity to lay a brick in memory of my Mum on part of the reconstructed wall and put a message underneath it. I met some great people, each of us doing this challenge for very different reasons, and I am sure that I have met some friends for life as we are already planning our next challenge for 2018. I have got some great photos and lots of memories that I will treasure for a long time, especially the moment when we were at the awards ceremony on the last night. All the names had been read out except for myself and another team member, and I was thinking “I haven’t completed the Great Wall of China Trek, how do I tell the individuals who have kindly sponsored me”. Then I heard “for someone who was very determined, always smiling, never gave up”… and then my name was read out. I was so pleased to hear my name, but the point when I realised I had achieved something great was when my colleague tapped me on the shoulder and said look back, and there was everyone standing up and clapping, I was so touched by this incredible gesture, it will remain a fantastic memory of this trip. Since returning home I have shown my medal off with great pride and sense of achievement.”
Over and Above Fundraiser Julie Whitton said Catherine has been on an incredible journey raising a phenomenal amount for the hospital charity. The charity has now raised over £3 million for our Seamoor Unit which supports over 9,000 patients each year. The monies raised by Catherine will be used to purchase much needed equipment and complementary medicine days to support our patients with cancer.
The China Great Wall Trek for Over & Above with Global Adventure Challenges is a fantastic 5 day hike along this awesome man made structure. Stretching for 6,000km, it zig zags its way across China, snaking across mountains and through valleys – and the Great Wall provides a fantastic backdrop to some fantastic trekking. The challenge takes our participants over watch towers and mountains, through historic battlement stations that are well off the tourist trail – there are many sections during this charity challenge where you will feel the Great Wall is for just the team you are with, with no-one else in sight.
The trekking on this charity challenge is hard, due to the amount of steps each day- a highlight of this challenge is to conquer the 1,000 steps up to the wall at Mutianyu, culminating with the ascent of the ‘Heavenly Ladder’ – it can sometimes take an hour just to trek one kilometre on this glorious structure!
There is also some free time to explore Beijing’s famous sites, such as the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square before celebrating your achievement at dinner. If you would like to join the next Over & Above challenge of a lifetime visit the charity website and find out more on www.overandabove.org.uk
To support the hospital charity you can donate by phone, online, cheque or cash. Just bring your donation to the Fundraising Office on Level 2 at North Devon District Hospital, Raleigh Park, Barnstaple, EX31 4JB or phone the Fundraising Team on 01271 311772 or if you want to find out more, please visit; www.overandabove.org.uk and the charity’s Facebook page or contact the North Devon District Hospital Fundraising Team on 01271 311772 or email ndht.charity@nhs.net