Charity Challenge hits £100 million milestone after 25+ years of extraordinary fundraising adventures
The multi-award-winning adventure travel company, Charity Challenge, has reached a major milestone having helped tens of thousands of people to raise over £100 million for thousands of charities globally.
A pioneer of fundraising challenges in Britain, the company recently announced the massive milestone figure which has benefitted thousands of charities across the world, helping to bring about huge positive change in the world, housing the homeless, finding cures for illness and disease, safeguarding children and fighting climate change.
Charity Challenge has spent more than 25 years turning its founding belief into reality - that individuals can push beyond their perceived physical and mental limits to create positive global change. In that time, tens of thousands of people have travelled the world, taken on extraordinary challenges and raised £100 million for charities worldwide.
Founder and Managing Director, Simon Albert, who set the company up in 1999, described the achievement as “Unbelievable,” adding: "When I started Charity Challenge more than 25 years ago, the idea was simple: give ordinary people the opportunity to take on extraordinary adventures while raising money for causes close to their hearts. That purpose has never changed, and I’m incredibly proud of everyone who has played a part in reaching this amazing milestone.
"£100 million is a remarkable number, but behind it are thousands of individual stories of people who have challenged themselves, overcome fears, seen incredible parts of the world and, most importantly, made a difference to causes they care about.”
Founded in 1999 by Simon Albert and Jeremy Gane, Charity Challenge was born from Simon’s own experience of combining adventure and fundraising. After trekking to Petra (Jordan) and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro (Tanzania) in the 1990s to raise money for charity, Simon turned his passion for travel, endurance and fundraising into a business dedicated to helping others push themselves beyond their comfort zones while making a difference.
Since then, the company has delivered multiple high-profile fundraising adventures, including:
- Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day Kilimanjaro climb, which featured the likes of Gary Barlow, Ronan Keating, Denise Van Outen, Fearne Cotton and raised £3.5 million.
- Jeff Stelling’s March for Men, raising awareness and funds for Prostate Cancer UK.
- The most Exotic Cycle Rides, which includes King Charles amongst its list of participants.
- CoppaTrek! challenges that have raised more than £10 million for the charity CoppaFeel!, raising awareness of breast cancer, with celebrity participants including Giovanna Fletcher, Emma Willis and Sara Davies.
Reaching £100 million has been a journey of extraordinary highs as well as significant challenges. Charity Challenge has navigated 9/11, SARS, the global financial crash, natural disasters and the complete shutdown of international travel during COVID-19, when the business was forced to close its UK office and Canadian operation and lose key members of staff.
Corporate partnerships have also been a driving force behind Charity Challenge’s £100 million fundraising journey, bringing together thousands of employees, customers and suppliers from major organisations including HSBC, Tesco, Boots and Lloyds Banking Group to take on extraordinary challenges for charity. By turning workplace communities into fundraising teams, these long-standing partnerships have helped engage thousands of people behind causes they care about and played a key role in reaching the £100 million milestone.
More than 25 years on, Charity Challenge is fuelled by a belief in the power of adventure travel to facilitate life-changing experiences while simultaneously raising millions for worthy causes. And while the purpose remains the same, the journey is far from over.
Today, Charity Challenge continues to push the boundaries of adventure and fundraising, introducing new ways for people to combine challenge, wellbeing and positive impact. This includes launching an exclusive corporate wellbeing division of the adventure travel company, while building new partnerships and creating even more opportunities to make a difference.
For further information, interviews and images, please contact: charitychallenge@aspirepr.co.uk
Visit the Charity Challenge website via: www.charitychallenge.com
About Charity Challenge: Founded in 1999, Charity Challenge is a multi-award-winning adventure travel company helping people take on extraordinary adventures around the world while raising money for causes close to their hearts. From the Great Wall of China and Mount Kilimanjaro to the North and South Poles, Charity Challenge has taken tens of thousands of people on life-changing fundraising adventures and has raised more than £100 million for charities worldwide. The company was co-founded by Simon Albert, who remains Managing Director, and has worked with leading charities, brands and high-profile personalities to deliver some of the UK’s best-known fundraising challenges. More than 25 years on, its purpose remains simple: challenge yourself, see the world and make a difference.
