About …
Welcome to my Mencap Challenge Fundraising website.
My name is David Head, and from 2001 to 2008 I travelled far and wide to raise funds for the UK learning disability charity Mencap.
Why?
Well originally because Mencap posters and publicity persuaded me that trekking and camping in Patagonia (Chile) would be a fantastic adventure (which it was) and that it would be easy to raise enough sponsorship (which was the tougher part of the challenge as far I was concerned!).
Subsequently, as well as having the travel bug, I’ve learned more and more about the importance of the charity’s work. Now when I travel it’s with this firmly in mind.
There are those that criticise the concept of sponsored charity challenges, especially those that take place abroad. This is understandable, and everyone is entitled to their views on this issue. If you are uncomfortable supporting Mencap via my own activities, I’d encourage you to use the link on the right to the charity’s own homepage and donate directly and independently of my efforts.
I undertook five sponsored treks over the 7 years, the last one with my wife and so with a double fundraising target. During this time I (we) raised a total of £18,703. Even taking into account the air tickets, this contributes significantly to Mencap’s work - funds that otherwise would not have been raised. The fundraising reports are also published on this site in full.
I hope you find the notes and pictures on this site interesting, especially if you are considering a charity sponsored challenge yourself. Feel free to email me (see link to the right), I’d love to share with you what I’ve learned over the last few years.
I’ve visited some spectacular places, met some incredible people, and worked with great teams over the 8 years I spent supporting Mencap. If you think you might be inspired to do something similar, let me know, I’d love to hear from you.
David
