VOLUNTEERS from a charity at the heart of mental health support in the Bath area are taking on an extreme charity challenge this November.
Six members of the Bath branch of Samaritans will join forces with volunteers from branches across the South West to tackle a 100-mile trek across the Sahara.
Forming a team of 24 they will be crossing the forbidding landscape of the Sahara Desert starting on November 14 to raise vital funds for the service.
Bath branch volunteer and fundraising committee member Mervyn Parrish suggested the slightly more hospitable location for this year’s challenge after their trip to the Himalayas last year took a turn for the worse.
During their 18-day trek, the volunteers had to be evacuated from near Everest Base Camp after five foot of snow fell in just two hours with the entire team having to be lead back down off the mountain by a special guide.
Mervyn said: “I think it took us two hours to get up to this camp and nine hours to get back down.” The team went on to complete the challenge raising £25,000.
“We did it in the end but it was just a very interesting challenge. It was so cold the toilets froze and things like this. I wouldn’t do it again but it made it all much more memorable,” he added.
Temperatures in the desert are expected to be a balmy 27 to 28 degrees for the team as they face treks of up to eight hour each day covering 17 to 25 kilometres over desert plateaus and undulating sand dunes.
Conditions will still be challenging for the volunteers with unusual weather patterns, wildlife and the differing strengths and abilities of the group; and with basic overnight camping facilities exposed to desert winds, they will still need to navigate cold temperatures at night.
The team, including volunteers from Bath, Torquay, Plymouth and Cheltenham are putting in the miles walking upwards of 13 miles a day, before they meet for the first time on the day of their departure from Gatwick Airport.
Together they are hoping to raise upwards of £50,000 this November with the extreme trek and still busy looking for donation and local sponsorship.
All the money raised will be shared equally between the 13 South West branches, all independent charities in their own right and each reliant on raising their own funds to deliver services.
As well as raising funds the volunteers also want to raise awareness of the service which is always on the lookout for new volunteers to offer a listening ear for those on the other end of the phone.
A volunteer with the Samaritans for 5 years, Mervyn added: “I think people need to understand that it's not just about suicide; it’s about helping people who are in a depression or helping tehm with their problems. It’s a very universal role.”
Samaritans ask for a minimum commitment of one three hour shift per week. Visit Bath & District Samaritans website to find out more.