As we’ve now entered May, and our thoughts turn to garden barbeques and beach trips, we are only a month away from the halfway point of the year. At such a moment, it’s helpful to take stock of the year so far. We have so far covered The London Marathon, Sport Relief, and Etape Caledonia, and in doing so covered an awful lot of strenuous activity at some pretty prestigious events. I think after all that, we deserve something a bit lighter for our next fundraising focus.

British Heart Foundation Treks

Okay, well perhaps it isn’t that much lighter, but the British Heart Foundation Treks offer something a bit different from what we have so far covered. For one thing, we will be leaving the UK, in part, for the first time! But, what exactly lies in wait for us with these events?

The British Heart Foundation Treks are a series of charity fundraiser events that are led by The British Heart Foundation and are orientated around hikes and walks. There are a great number of events on offer, with walks organized across the UK and in some of the most scenic locations across the planet. These treks are also varied in difficulty and length, offering opportunity for those who are perhaps a bit daunted by the locations and hikes listed. The events, although first and foremost designed to raise funds for a charitable cause, offer participants the opportunity to not only challenge themselves, but also to take part in some very social and very picturesque hikes.

How did it begin?    

The British Heart Foundation itself began back in 1961, the aim of the organization being to combat heart and circulatory diseases. The charity, for the most part, relies on donations and contributions for funding. An additional method to their more traditional forms of appealing for funds, was to introduce the British Heart Foundation Treks, which attracts a great number of people each year via a number of different events.

British Heart Foundation Treks today.

The British Heart Foundations Treks are, today, extremely diverse and very accessible. Where naturally, something like The London Marathon or Etape Caledonia would require far more intensive training and preparation, you can gradually increase the difficulty of the BHF trek you choose each year.

I mentioned that we can leave the UK with the British Heart Foundation, so let’s look the options for exotic adventure first. The BHF, amongst a number of other destinations, offers the chance to hike and explore a certain ancient Incan city. Yes, the opportunity to visit Machu Picchu in Peru is one that naturally stands out. The challenge takes places in October and is ten days long – elevating charitable fundraising to incredible heights (quite literally). But, the opportunities do not end there. The BHF also offers an Icelandic Lava trek, a Kilimanjaro trek, and a Great Wall of China trek. If you are looking for something a little closer to home, then there are multiple treks also occurring in the UK. You can walk the length of Hadrian’s wall, the Jurassic Coast, the Wye Valley, or take part in various other challenges. Given that these activities are numerous, they are spread quite evenly across the calendar year, so there will always be something happening regardless of the time of year.

Fit4Change and British Heart Foundation Treks.

If you open our app on your mobile device and navigate to the ‘Choose a charity’ page, you will find that we already have the British Heart Foundation listed as a charity option for fundraising. However, you are not limited to just using the app in conjunction with your trek, you can also look at our ‘Offers’ page, and potentially raise even more cash for the BHF simply by purchasing the equipment required for the event.

Additionally, on the day of your hike, you could always request to your sponsors, friends and family, that they supplement your donation further. They can do this by walking a decided upon distance while you are participating in your event, using the Fit4Change fundraising app. For example, if you decide to take part in the 25km Cotswold Way Challenge, you could ask your friends and family to complete the same distance as a team, even if just on day-to-day outings, thus doubling the funds you raise from running the app yourself.

Getting Involved.   

If you would like to get involved in one of the British Heart Foundation’s hikes, then please visit their website, where you shall be able to find all the information required, plus the means to sign up. There is a cost involved, however, naturally these funds do go towards a fantastic charity that does some very important work.

Please, do contact Fit4Change via our Home page should you decide to sign up. There are a number of ways that we at Fit4Change can provide support for participants of charity events and we would love to be able to assist and hear of your journeys and exploits.

Whether you run, walk, or cycle, fundraise for free with Fit4Change