AN INTREPID group of 1st Chandler’s Ford scouts, including youngsters aged nine and 11, are to embark on an epic adventure in a bid to raise £50,000 towards a new Scout HQ.
The team is aiming to walk and cycle more than 1710km from John O’Groats to Lands’ End during The Great Woogle JOGLE, a demanding journey that will feature 19,000 metres of ascent – the equivalent of climbing Everest twice.
The challenge, which will also give a huge boost to the coffers of BBC Children in Need, is a real family affair with Scout Leaders Jennie and Phil Evans joined by their nine-year-old son Ollie and daughter Hattie, aged 11, as well as fellow scouts Bethan Wilby, aged 14, and James Tyler and Cara Patient, who are both 18.
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Getting underway on Sunday (July 9), it is expected to take 60 consecutive days to complete, with four or five hours of travel each day.
Members of other Scout and Guide groups will join throughout, with the team set to stay at campsites, a nature reserve, a mountain rescue hut and community fire stations.
"We have never done anything like this before and none of us are athletes or even in peak physical condition, so this is an extreme adventure for us,” explained Jennie, who is an NHS Consultant Paediatrician.
"However, we are doing this for two important causes – BBC Children in Need and #BrickfieldsBigBuild - and to inspire other young people across the country that they can do anything they aspire to achieve!”
“Along the way we are inviting Scouts, Guides, and families to join us for as much or as little as they are able. We hope to meet and share our adventure with as many people as possible.”
#BrickfieldsBigBuild is one of the largest projects ever attempted by the 1st Chandler’s Ford Scout Group and will involve rebuilding its current dilapidated Scout hut erected in 1965.
Organisers are hoping to replace the current building with a modern HQ and community hub with meeting spaces, cafe, sensory room, archery range and climbing centre.
You can follow The Great Woggle JOGLE across the team's social media channels and on YouTube using @wogglejogle
To sponsor, the team, visit wonderful.org/fundraisers/noJ3R
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