Brasil Challenge 2009..

This year Susan joined a team of fifteen women to ride 150 km+ through the Brasilian rain forest.  It was a charity challenge to raise much needed funds for St. Michael’s Hospice, Basingstoke, Hampshire.

St.Michaels’ is a specialist palliative unit which was fifteen years old in 2008.  The fundraising department hoped to encourage staff and supporters to complete fifteen different challenges by walking, cycling and trekking around different parts of the world.
I have been working for St. Michael’s in a consultancy capacity to establish a system of staff support and clinical supervision for the past ten years.  When the new Chief Executive joined the hospice I spent my last year helping to form an effective new management team.  I reluctantly finished my work there this year having re-located to East Anglia and accepted the difficulties in a fortnightly day long 500 mile round trip.

My training for the challenge was physically and emotionally challenging.  There are not too many hills in EastAnglia so I de-camped to the Welsh mountains and apart from the difference in humidity the riding went over similar terrain ~ step, steep mountains and deep rivers and valleys.  There was even a wash pool for the horses to practice their rolling while the rider is still on board.

Personally and mentally it was a fantastic achievement and I am already planning my next ride!