Amelia Marshall is a BSc (Hons) Environmental Land Management at Harper Adams University and is currently on placement with award-winning sustainable open space management company Trustgreen.
Inspired by the company’s choice of charity, she completed a 100 Miles in March Challenge this spring, raising more than £400 for Duchenne UK.
She is, at time of writing, the single biggest fundraiser for the year so far in her company.
In this guest blog, she explains why – and how – she did it.
In 2023, Trustgreen raised £9000 for Claire House Childrens Hospice; and at the start of 2024, Duchenne UK was announced as the Charity of The Year.
To select the Charity of The Year, Trustgreen ask their employees to nominate a charity with a personal connection to them, and one charity is then selected via a vote by the board.
This selection process makes the fundraising feel much more personal and meaningful, which motivated me to complete the 100 Miles in March Challenge for Duchenne UK.
Duchenne UK have a clear aim to end Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). DMD is a genetic condition that causes progressive muscle weakness due to a mutation in the protein gene called dystrophin. The condition is usually diagnosed in boys between the ages of three and six, and, unfortunately, limits life expectancy.
Duchenne UK fund and accelerate effective treatments for DMD. For example, they are funding gene therapy to replace the missing dystrophin gene in people with DMD, and funding research into treatments and therapies to treat severe symptoms of DMD.
They also provide support to families affected by DMD, and ways they do this include ensuring access to the best care, free education support, and providing information and guidance to families.
Inspired to help them, I set myself the 100 Miles in March Challenge - which consisted of walking a total of 100 miles through the month.
Using Strava, I was able to track my progress and make regular updates on social media, including LinkedIn.
Below is my progress through the month:
The 20 mile mark was achieved on March 5; 50 miles on March 13; 70 miles achieved on March 18 – and the whole 100 miles completed by March 26!
I really enjoyed the challenge, and I have two favourite walks overall: a 10-mile walk completed on March 11 in Northamptonshire and a 7.5-mile walk completed on March 17 in the Chiltern Hills.
My approach to the challenge was to complete long walks at the weekends and shorter walks on weekdays.
Other locations for my walks included Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Dorset, and Kent, which provided great photo opportunities.
On March 26, I knew that I had five miles left to complete my challenge. That evening, in the rain, I completed the final five miles to reach my 100-mile target!
Overall, I am really pleased to have completed the 100 Miles in March Challenge to raise money and awareness for Duchenne UK.
Trustgreen aim to raise £5000 for Duchenne UK, and I am extremely grateful to everyone who supported my challenge to contribute over £400 to the target.
To continue fundraising, employees from Trustgreen will complete the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge on May 11.
If you would like to donate, please follow this link: www.justgiving.com/page/trustgreen2024.
A spokeperson from Trustgreen added: “Trustgreen has a strong culture of Corporate Social Responsibility and have recently been awarded ‘World Leader’ status in CSR by the Green organisation.
“Our ethos on charity and philanthropy goes much further than simply writing a cheque. Each year we democratically select a cause that is close to one of our colleagues’ hearts which we endeavour to raise funds for throughout the year. This not only fosters a collective sprit of togetherness but also puts purpose behind our efforts.
“We were thrilled that Amelia decided to take on this challenge and were completely bowled over by her fundraising prowess and determination. At the time of writing she is the individual that has raised the most money this year – given that she is our placement student that is truly inspiring for all and we can’t thank her enough.”
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