Inverness mum to take on 9-day Great Wall of China trek for Highland Hospice

Two friends are set to take on a nine-day hike in China to raise money for Highland Hospice.

Sandra Campbell, who lives in Inverness, and Shona MacQueen will be joining a group of around 30 people to walk across a chunk of the Great Wall of China as part of a campaign organised by the charity – which next year will land on the 40th anniversary of hospice services in the Highlands.

Highland Hospice successfully ran the same event this year and raised almost £220,000.

“We’re just a pair of nutters!” Sandra said, adding that, after turning 60 last year she really wanted to do something different to mark the occasion.

It won’t be the first charity challenge for her, however, having undertaken cycling fundraisers before as well as a Hyrox event in Glasgow.

Interestingly both Sandra and Shona spotted a post about the Great Wall trek separately – and messaged each other about it at the same time.

Sandra said: “We’re both on the same wavelength. It was just meant to be, it was quite surreal.”

Shona will be taking on the challenge in memory of her late mother, who passed away 10 years ago.

The endeavour will see the pair and other group members fly from Inverness to Amsterdam and then onto Beijing in April next year.

They will then embark on their nine-day long adventure, walking for around seven-hours a day.

“There’s parts of it that’s quite daunting, but the scenery will be absolutely stunning,” Sandra said, explaining that what “really drew her in” was the fact the group will not be staying in hotels along the way but in the homes of people who live alongside the monument.

“I don’t know what to expect if I’m going to be really honest,” she said.

“I know it’s going to be tough, and I know it’s going to be totally different to anything that I’ve ever done before, because of the terrain, because of the culture, because of the people that are there, and it’s going to be a totally new experience for us.”

Looking ahead to the necessary training she said: “We both go to the gym, we cycle, we run, we just kind of generally keep fit, but we’re going to have to get our legs kind of going on hills and stuff, I think, because it’s going to be quite steep.

“We’ll have to get some ski-erg (skiing exercise machine) going and what-not to get the legs built up.”

Sandra’s son Liam runs a fitness coaching business, and has been keeping tabs on her training, she joked.

“My training was always ‘just go out there and do it’, but now I think more since he’s in this line of work – the nutrition side is so important, but something that we never used to consider when we were training.

“It’s amazing the difference that the correct food will make in giving you that wee bit more energy. I’ve learned a lot from Liam.”

As part of the campaign the pair will need to raise £4000 each before they jet off.

Ms Campbell said: “That’s going to be the challenge, I think.

“You know it’s all for such a good cause, and whether it’s a pound or whether it’s £100 it’s all important.

“The hospice does so much for so many people, not just cancer patients, but all end of life, and it really is a humbling place to go to.”

Sandra has set up a JustGiving page and the pair are currently trying to plan a raffle to aid their fundraising efforts.