The latest fundraising campaign of our MD, David Lowe, has so far raised more than £15,000 for East Cheshire Hospice. In total, David and his fellow trekkers raised a collective £65,000 for these vital local services.
The Sahara Desert trek took place in November, and involved two full days and two half days trekking across ancient, dried-up riverbeds, sand dunes and sun-baked plains. It also involved spending two days helping an educational and vocational training project in Marrakech, with the aim of supporting vulnerable people orphaned, abused or rejected by their family.
The £15,000 of funds raised were given an early boost by our Autac charity gala dinner at Hazel Grove Golf Club in October. The event brought together many of our Autac friends, family, staff, key partners and clients, and your collective generosity raised £8,625.
It is the second time in three years that David’s adventures have raised significant money for charity. In 2019, his successful trek to Everest Base Camp raised £11k, with the group he travelled with raising a collective £132k for the cancer charity, Breast Cancer Awareness.
Giving back and making a difference is incredibly important to David and his wife and co-director, Sallie.
As David explains,
“It is nearly ten years since my sister-in-law, Sallie’s sister, passed away from breast cancer at the age of only 51. We want to do all we can to support others who are facing the pain of losing a loved one. Julie was so well cared for at East Cheshire Hospice, and fundraising is the best way we can ever express our thanks.
“I thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the Sahara challenge, and spending time with the wonderful Moroccan people. The skies were simply breath-taking, both during the day and at night! I just couldn’t get over how peaceful and quiet the desert was.”
Bethan Wade, Challenge Events Coordinator, East Cheshire Hospice, adds,
“It was a challenging but incredibly rewarding trip with a really inspiring group of people. Everyone had a different story, and each brought their charm, humour and positivity to the trip. David always made the group laugh and was the first to get stuck into work on the volunteer project. David embraced the culture and included the trek guides in everything we did, and went out of his way to learn how to communicate with locals.”
Anyone wishing to donate can do so by clicking the button below.
David’s next challenge is yet to be decided but it is perhaps a sign that ITV’s “I’m a Celebrity – Get Me Out of Here!” has adapted Autac’s brand colours (see photo below)…
