Pictured: (l-r) Juliette Denny, Charlotte Fullard,
Janis Sayer and Julia Perry
A Worcester property expert made an emotional journey across the
finishing line after discovering she was one of around 25% of her
group to complete a monumental cycling challenge in Africa.
Charlotte Fullard, chartered surveyor of Halls Commercial,
hadn't ridden a bike for years but was one of just a few people out
of a group of 63 to complete the whole of the Women v Cancer
cycling event. The challenge saw Charlotte push herself to the
limit as she rode 400 kilometres across the Kenyan landscape to
raise funds for victims of breast, cervical and ovarian cancer.
The five-day event was organised by Action for Charity.
Accompanying Charlotte were hundreds of women including celebrities
such as Aggie MacKenzie of 'How Clean is your House' fame. Also
taking part in one of the rides was Dawn Porter, the writer and
television presenter renowned for tackling issues from size zero
and childbirth, and the realities of struggling with breast cancer
in the hard hitting documentary 'My Breasts Could Kill Me'.
Charlotte, who lives and works in Worcester, said: "The whole
experience was amazing. I met so many different women from all over
the country who each had their own reasons for taking part.
"Day one of cycling in Nyeri was a complete shock to the system!
I hadn't done as much terrain training as I maybe should have, so
the hill climbs were very challenging. I didn't think I could push
myself that far, but it just goes to show what can be achieved with
a supportive team and sheer determination to succeed."
As Charlotte crossed the finish line in Kisumu, she was
overwhelmed with emotion. "I couldn't actually believe I had done
it, especially the gold hill challenge, which was more like a
mountain climb! I was brought to tears when the scale of my
achievement actually dawned on me."
Charlotte, who received support from friends, colleagues at
Halls Commercial and members of the local Worcester business
community, raised a total of £5,280. The collective total for
all five groups taking part in the challenge is in excess of
£1.6 million. All proceeds will be split equally between
Breast Cancer Care, Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust, and Ovarian Cancer
Action. Some funds will also go to the Faraja Project, a
cancer charity in Kenya.
"I would encourage everyone to take part in something like
this," Charlotte added. "The camaraderie between the team really
spurs you on and the sense of achievement afterwards is
overwhelming. We've already signed up for another challenge -
Nightrider 2012, a 100km cycle through London at night - just to
keep us ticking over!"