Adventurous trekkers raise £4k for Florence Nightingale charity

Awi Frances, Jayne Littlejohn and Vicky Benning completed the 10-day trip in November, trekking more than 30 kilometres across the Andes at heights of more than 4,600m, from Peru’s historical capital of Cusco in the south east of the country to the ancient Incan citadel and World Heritage Site of Machu Picchu.

Vicky Benning said: "To be able to tick something off your bucket list while raising money for a charity so close to my heart is incredible. I will never forget the amazing care Florence Nightingale Hospice gave my Mum and the support they provided our family.

"I will never be able to repay them but if I can help a little I will try. I urge anyone who is thinking of doing a charity trek to do it. It is a life changing experience where the memories and friendships you build will stay with you forever."

Awi Frances added: "Trekking in the Andes is an incredible challenge for anyone, but to do it for the first time at age 62 was very daunting. I am proud of myself for achieving this, in memory of my sister who died last year at the age of 48. Thinking of her kept me going up the hard, steep parts. It was a fantastic experience and now I'm thinking, where and what next?"

And Jayne Littlejohn said: “When I saw details in the Bucks Herald about the opportunity to take part in a trek and visit Machu Picchu, one of the places in the world I have always wanted to visit, at the same time as raising money for our local hospice I needed to find out more.

“Trekking at altitude is hard work and not something you can practice for in the UK. But we saw some astonishing views, particularly when trekking through Andean passes, met some amazing people both locally and other trekkers, and Machu Picchu - a beautiful city set in amazing countryside - was worth all the hard work. The best part was later in the day when many of the tourists had left and you could sit and admire the beauty of the place. An experience I would highly recommend.”

If you would like to take on a challenge for Florence, whether it’s running a marathon, walking 100km or doing a skydive, please contact FNHC’s Teresa King on 01296 429975 or email [email protected]

Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity needs to raise over £650,000 a year to provide specialist palliative care services which are accessible and free of charge to those with a life-limiting illness and their families in Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire and parts of Oxfordshire.