Arctic Blast

The words ‘Arctic Blast’ leapt out at me from my phone screen as I aimlessly scrolled through one day last year, immediately I was hooked. An unsupported attempt to cover 100km across the Arctic Circle in seven days. The chance to take in ancient glaciers and witness the wonder of the Northern Lights. “YES PLEASE!”

This appealed to the intrepid adventurer hidden deeply within me and I was hooked. But as Simon Ford the organiser of Arctic Blast 2024 and Velindre Cancer Centre ambassador says, “This is no holiday”.

Simon lost his fiancé to lung cancer in 2013 and has thrown himself into fundraising thousands of pounds for Velindre ever since. Arctic Blast 2024 is one of a number of events he organises every year.

I couldn’t get the idea of this Arctic adventure out of my head and mentioned it one day while training with Cathy Ingram ‘All Women Health and Fitness’. Before too long a group of wild eyed expedition wannabees had come together to form the Brecon contingent for the 2024 challenge.

And so the journey begins, most of us have been touched by cancer. This cruel disease affects so many of us in so many ways. I personally have lost loved ones and watched those I love go through treatment which whilst lifesaving can be brutal. Velindre Cancer Centre Wales is a beacon of hope leading the way in groundbreaking research. Offering respite and therapeutic intervention and specialist nursing teams who offer care and support that is second to none. So signing up for this amazing challenge was a no brainer for me.

The Blast Brecon Branch will begin training on 21st May in the Beacons. No finer place to start! A fundraising page will shortly be established and we have a number of fundraising events planned over the next 12 months.

We are actively looking for help, sponsorship and support. So if you think you can reach out and help this worthy cause please contact Karen Davies at kazwales@hotmail.co.uk. Diolch.

Article supplied by Karen Davies