Val des Terres Everest Challenge
(2019 and 2020)

Mount Everest is some 8850 meters above sea level, making it the highest point on earth. 8850 meters equates to 115 times up Le Val des Terres hill, situated on the Southside end of St. Peter Port. On 1st January the challenge will begin for all abilities of fitness and is open to all age groups. This is the second time the charity event will be taking place and it is set to run over 30 consecutive days.

The fastest time the challenge has been completed is 13 days set by a local Guernsey man, who simply put on his hiking boots and Guernsey woolen jumper, and away he went! The event is open for individual as well as team challenges, this year we will be giving medals to all participants who raise funds for the Sarah Groves Foundation and in-turn are supporting Guernsey Mind. Each member will record their own number of laps using any suitable walking app (Garmin, Strava, etc). To find out more and/or register, join the event’s Facebook group or set up a sponsorship page on JustGiving.

Thus far some 30 people have completed the challenge and the feedback has been so encouraging from all those who have earned the famous “Sherpa Status“. Members have not only benefited from a physical fitness perspective, but also from the amazingly positive effects on mental health, of meeting new friends, and of having a challenge with a highly rewarding end goal. If you to want to earn your “Sherpa Status” then please set up your JustGiving page with a £115 target (which equates to £1 per circuit).

Circuit : Up Le Valles de Terres, turn right to go down to the Dorset Arms public house, turn right to go down to Havelet Bay, and repeat. Until you experience the beauty of the consistent winning feeling as you complete every circuit, then you will never appreciate just how special The Everest Challenge really is. Simply, it’s a fantastic way to kick-start your 2020 vision.

The 2019 event raised £3,600. Join the 2020 event and help us to smash last year’s total!

The Guernsey Dance Floor Challenge
(2019)

This is Guernsey’s answer to Strictly Come Dancing and its standards are every bit as high. Each year organisers Jamie and Leslie le Tissier nominate a ‘charity of choice’. In 2019 they chose the Sarah Groves Foundation and quite apart from making some wonderful new friends, we were delighted to receive a cheque for £6,250.

Special thanks are due to Paul Wilson, Jason Hamon and SueCo for their time, effort and contribution to a charity dinner auctioned at the Dance Floor Challenge final which raised almost £3,000.

Cycling from Guernsey to Istanbul via Rome
(2019)

The next major fundraising event for the Sarah Groves Foundation is the 2021 Tour de Sez when 85 cyclists and 15 support staff will travel from Guernsey to Rome on the fourth Tour de Sez, which is expected to raise £100,000 net of all costs.

A key component of each Tour is a dry run to confirm routes, seek out accommodation and identify potential problems. In September 2019, Gary Hooks and Leon Howard supported by Damian Bent and Diana Gabranova undertook the Rome recce.

Using it as a fundraising opportunity, Gary and Leon then cycled on to Istanbul but not without incident. Their campervan broke down twice and they were arrested and fined for entering Bulgaria via a closed border. Despite these setbacks, they arrived in Istanbul just one day behind schedule.

Well done Gary and Leon – this is an excellent example of our keywords fitness and adventure!

Everest Challenge
(2019 and 2020)

The Val des Terres is a hilly route out of St Peter Port consisting of a series of hairpin bends. Gary Hooks decided to launch an event called The Everest Challenge whereby teams of people (in relay if preferred and not all in one go) walk up the Val des Terres 115 times, which equates to climbing Mt Everest. The 2019 event raised £3,600. A repeat event is scheduled for early 2020

Castle Carey Open Garden
(2019)

The beautiful gardens at Castle Carey, one of Guernsey’s most prestigious homes, were opened up on 30th June as a fundraiser for the Sarah Groves Foundation by kind permission of Roy and Linda Clegg as part of Floral Guernsey’s Open Gardens programme. The sum raised was £3,630.

Runway Sportives
(2018 and 2019)

The opportunity to cycle along the runway and taxiways of a major airport are few and far between and our thanks go to the authorities at Guernsey Airport who have authorised two such opportunities for the benefit of the Sarah Groves Foundation. The first Runway Sportive was in July 2018 and ran throughout the night under cloudless skies. The second was in July 2019 and ran until midnight. We are indebted to St John’s Ambulance, Channel Islands Air Search, airport officials and many other people for their unflinching support on both occasions. The sums raised were more than £2,500.

Boaty McBike Face
(2017 and 2018)

Used as a fundraiser for the 2018 Tour de Sez to Amsterdam, this is an excellent example of thinking outside the box by cyclist Graham Glass and it required immense physical challenges.

In 2017 Graham strapped a bicycle to a small sailing boat and linked to side-paddles. He called it Boaty McBike Face.

In 2017 he became the first person to ‘cycle’ from Guernsey to Herm – a distance of about 3 miles. He achieved this in under an hour. However, in the summer of 2018, Graham decided that he needed a bigger challenge and decided to ‘cycle’ the from Guernsey to Sark.

This was a much tougher challenge; double the distance over dangerous waters but despite many setbacks en route he successfully became the first person to ‘cycle’ from Guernsey to Sark (and probably the last!) in well under two hours.

Graham raised £10,500 on his own account and helped many others in the 2018 Tour de Sez to reach their own fundraising targets by way of the raffle that was run in association with his Sark challenge.

Well done Graham. Huge congratulations and thanks from everyone this end. We note your comment ‘never again’ as you landed in Sark!

The Great Glen Challenge
(2018)

Freewheeler Festival, Guernsey
(2018)

Smile Concert
(2018)

As a fundraiser for the 2018 Tour de Sez, Josh Gifford, Simon Rowe and John Surcombe hired St James Concert & Assembly Hall and put on a concert using local bands and acts. It was a wonderful evening of fund and entertainment which raised almost £3,000.

Grand Charity Auction
(2016)

Other Unofficial Events

In addition to the above, many impressive personal challenges have been undertaken on our behalf:

• Amsterdam Marathon (Emma Lawrence, 2013)

• Jurassic Coast Marathon (Rory Read, 2014)

• Marathon des Sables (Leon Howard, 2014)

• Great North Run (Joanna Carr, 2014)

• Ocean to Ocean Half Marathon, South Africa (Caroline Barby, 2014)

• Chicago Marathon (Darren Lewin, 2014)

• Great Scottish Run (Emma Dyson, 2014)

• Malta Marathon (Leon Howard, 2014)

• Guildford to Brighton Marathon Walk (Louisa McPhee, 2014)

• The Wall of China Marathon (Jodie London, 2017)

• London Marathon (Clint King, 2018)

Have an idea for a fundraiser?

Contact us and let us know what you're thinking! It could be a personal initiative, a small scale group event or even an idea for a major group fundraising expedition/adventure. There will more than likely be ways in which we can help you in terms of organisation, fundraising or even funding.