Feeling the heat for charity

Yorkshire adventurer Geoff Major is to walk across the hottest place on earth just over a year after trekking through one of the coldest parts of the planet.

The businessman, from Rothwell, Leeds, will be joined by 17 others as he heads across the Sahara Desert next month to raise money for four charities – Heart Research UK, Muscular Dystrophy, Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice, and Macmillan Cancer Support.

The 62 miles trek over five days in heat of up to 38 degrees centigrade is in stark contrast to a previous challenge last year when Geoff trekked across the North Pole raising over £18,000 for his charities including Heart Research UK.

“Last year it was the North Pole and this year it is another extreme with the heat,” said 52-year-old Geoff, whose youngest daughter Becki will be among his party of 18.

“I think one of the drivers is doing this is to say that I have experienced the Sahara, and it would be good for others to say ‘I can do that’.”

Geoff says it will be an interesting expedition with a wide selection of ages from a 21-year-old to someone aged 57. There will be a professional trek lead, and a support team of Bedouins along with a medic.

“By Day 3 there will be blisters,” said Geoff who did some training at the height of this summer in the 29 degrees heat at Temple Newsam Park, Leeds. He has also been training on the sands at Lytham St Annes.

The expedition will head out to the Sahara on October 26 with a flight to Casablanca and then on to Ouarzazate on the edge of the desert where temperatures will range from 38 degrees centigrate to zero degrees at night.

The only person among Geoff’s party to have experienced the Sahara before is IT programme and portfolio manager Julia Wood who was inspired to make a return visit because “it is the best antidote to a busy, noisy life”.

Another member of the party is planning an impromtu game of cricket when they reach their Sahara destination.

It is Geoff’s second challenge in 2013. Earlier this year he took a seven-seater bicycle on a tour across Yorkshire and Lancashire raising money for Heart Research UK and his other chosen charities.

There’s no time for Geoff to catch his breath as the challenges keep coming next year with a trek along the “Avenue of Volcanos” in Ecuador and a “capital tour” with the seven-seater bike from London, Cardiff, Dublin, Belfast and Edinburgh.

He says having given to charity for many years through his business, BlueDucks Ltd, he decided he wanted to be the one doing the charity challenge. “I decided I wanted to do exciting stuff to also help others so I searched the internet and signed up for a charity cycle ride across Cuba. On my return I went back to the website and the only activity that truly excited me was a trek to the North Pole. I like to do things I’ve never done before; to test my physical and mental ability and I just love the overall planning and preparation.”

Geoff has fund-raising missions planned well into 2015.

Route across the Sahara desert

Day 1: Depart UK to Ouarzazate, Morocco.

Day 2: Ouarzazate to Lahfira Camp. Leave by 4x4 and transfer to Achbarou, the ‘Door of the Desert’.

Day 3: Maider El Kbir Plateau. Six hours of walking, covering nine miles.

Day 4: Climb Jebel Lamrakeb. Seven hours  of walking, covering 17  miles.

Day 5: Rhris River. Seven hours of walking across dunes, covering 16 miles.

Day 6: Trek across the open desert plateau six hours of walking, covering 14 miles.

Day 7: Return Ouarzazate.