The Cumbrian Challenge, now in its seventh year, is Walking With The Wounded’s fun and testing, fundraising event in the Lake District for teams of four.
Every team that takes part supports another wounded veteran back into society with their fundraising - and takes away a very real sense of achievement.
WHY? Meet, walk with and be inspired by our wounded servicemen and women including members of our Walk of America 2018 expedition team. There is a route for all abilities and you’ll be amazed what you can achieve on the day and fundraising as a team to leave a lasting impact.
Teams who did their bit in 2018 included: FDM Group, BAE Systems, Latitude Group, Birketts LLP, Arqiva, Shard Capital, WYG, 99 Sqn, Esri UK, Serco, Axis Insurance, AEGIS London, Morson Group, AIG, Yodel, Manchester City Council, Aspen Risk Management, 5 Fusiliers, British Airways, Kier Housing, RAF Honington, Barclays and more.... FULL RESULTS HERE.
“The Cumbrian Challenge supports team building, leadership development, provides genuine inspiration and above all is fun. Our ongoing presence is guaranteed.” Shaun Savory, HR Director, Birketts LLP
"I was in a very dark place before I was referred to WWTW. Without their support I don't know where I would be. I now feel I have a bright future ahead of me." Adam, ex Green Howards Infantry Regiment
“We keep coming back to this event as it is an excellent challenge with clear outcomes supporting veterans who have walked in far more difficult locations than this. Undertaking the event with work colleagues is great fun and helps to build our own internal professional relationships” Glen Pilkington, Head of HR & Learning and Development, AEGIS London
The Cumbrian Challenge was set up for raising funds to put ex servicemen and women through WWTW's programmes and back into society, independence and employment. This event continues to be a key fundraiser to change lives.
Incentives:
5 key fundraising tips to blast past your £2,000 team target:
Why are we doing this again?
"I was in a very dark place before I was referred to WWTW. Without their support I don't know where I would be. I now feel I have a bright future ahead of me." Adam, ex Green Howards Infantry Regiment, injured in training
"Asking for help is the hardest thing I've ever done, bit it does work... talking helps." Harry, diagnosed with mental health issues following basic training
"I wouldn't be where I am now if it wasn't for the help provided by WWTW. In fact, I would probably be dead." Leon, ex Welsh Guards with tours to Iraq, Bosnia and Afghanistan, diagnosed with PTSD
The ‘Mountain Goats’ team from AEGIS London have been to every Cumbrian Challenge, led by Glen Pilkington.
Glen’s fundraising plan:
‘CHt Trekkers’ from Crown House Technologies (part of Laing O’Rourke), completed their first Cumbrian Challenge in 2016 and made the most of work connections to hit their fundraising target.
Tim's fundraising plan:
Timothy Wilson, a senior project manager for Crown House who led the team, said: “The CHt Trekkers team decided the simplest strategy would be to utilise our networks as the primary target for fundraising. As with most organisations we are lucky enough to have a mature, supportive, supply chain which became the first port of call for sponsorship. This support has provided 80% of the £2300 raised and was acquired in little more than a month.
“The remaining funds have been built by individual team members who started to utilise their work peer and personal networks to gain further fundraising. This is the area we then pushed to hit and exceed our target.”
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Your team entry fee includes:
See details of the routes and how to pick the right one for you.
How can I make changes to my team / update or amend team members details?
Simply log into your NU Tickets account and click on “Tickets” to update your details or transfer your ticket if you can no longer make the event and are wanting to ‘sub in’ a friend.
If you are the team leader:
You can change team members and/or your route choice up until 1 May.
If you have any issues please email viveca@wwtw.org.uk or call 01263 863 902.
I haven’t had any emails about final details for the event?
We send regular countdown emails so if you haven’t received any then something has gone awry. Please email viveca@wwtw.org.uk to let us know.
When is it? Friday and Saturday 17-18 May 2019
Where is it? Grasmere Sports Ground – The Showfield, Stock Lane Grasmere, Cumbria, LA22 9SL
What are the event timings?
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
At least two members of each team must attend one of the safety briefings at registration which will take place every 45 minutes from 4pm until 9pm on the Friday.
This includes details about the route, the maps, the cut-off times and what to do in an emergency.
Teams sign in and receive their race numbers, laminated (waterproof) maps of the route and free WWTW tech t-shirts to wear during the challenge and a Cumbrian Challenge 2017 wristband to get their meals.
Yes and no. We want as many people as possible to attend and register on the Friday night as time on Saturday morning is tight and we want you to concentrate on your bacon roll and getting to the start line. We do run a final safety briefing talk at 7am on the day of the event for teams who for whatever reason don’t get to us in time on Friday. We recognise that people get stuck at work, with family, on the motorway, so if you can’t make it on Friday night please call 07818 424 304 to let us know so we can have your packs ready on Saturday morning so you don’t miss the start.
No. You must have four people to a team. If you have more than four people wanting to enter then please try and recruit another team. This will be more sociable for you and bring in more fundraising for the charity.
If you are short of teammates then do contact the office as we always have other teams who have had people pull out too and sometimes WWTW staff help make up numbers.
You can set up your fundraising page here. This will then appear alongside all the other event fundraising pages so you can get tips and ideas from other teams.
Please note – research has shown that adding a fundraising target can increase donations by 46%. Be brave and tell people your goal. Participants with photos on their pages also raise 9% more and adding a summary or story as to why you are personally taking part can increase donations by 11%. Essentially, a personal touch will make a difference and if your friends and colleagues can see where you need to get to target wise it is another prompter to them to give generously.
Teams are challenged to raise £2,000 with at least £1,000 in before the event to be able to take part - all on a best endeavours basis. If you have any concerns or worries then call us for ideas and ways you can easily work together to achieve this by
Figures to aim for:
£675 is the average cost of a course of therapy sessions through our mental health programme - Head Start
£706.56 is the average cost of a for each beneficiary in our employment programme which embeds employment advisors into homeless centres - Home Straight
£800 Will support a veteran through our criminal justice programme - Project Nova
£2361 is the average award for a beneficiary going through our retraining programme - First Steps
Please download our fundraising pack. Sell donuts in your office, hold a ‘come dine with me’ evening, a quiz, a sweepstake, a raffle, ask your work about matched funding… Here’s how to get your first £50.
Yes. If you have any worries please call 01263 863 902 and ask for Viveca.
CHEQUES – Make payable to “Walking With The Wounded” and send to Walking With The Wounded, Stody Hall Barns, Stody, Melton Constable, Norfolk NR24 2ED.
CASH – Please make a payment on your online giving page, write us a cheque or take the cash into any Barclays (Sort Code: 20-30-81 Account Number: 33616436) or Clydesdale Bank (Sort Code: 82-60-13 Acc. Number: 60181701). Ensure you put your name, team name and ‘Cumbrian Challenge’ in the reference.
Yes. Please address them to Walking With The Wounded. Write your name, team and Cumbrian Challenge on the back and send it to: Katie Dagless, WWTW, Stody Hall Barns, Stody, Melton Constable, Norfolk NR24 2ED.
The money you so generously raise funds our programmes supporting vulnerable veterans back into independence through employment. Every £2,000 on average supports another veteran into work.
Check out the kit list. The weather in the Lakes is very changeable, the temperature will drop by a degree every 100m you climb and with wind chill can be significantly colder. This year there will be a limited number of kit checks by our staff to ensure your safety and satisfy our insurers but we trust you to take appropriate clothing with you.
XS 35″ S 38″ M 40″ L 43″ XL 45″ 2XL 48″
No. There is limited amount of camping at the event ground which you can book when you register or via the link below.
For B&Bs please click here.
We kindly ask participants to arrange their own accommodation as unfortunately we do not have the time to help everyone with these requests.
There are men's and women's changing rooms with hot showers in the sports pavilion which are reserved exclusively for campers as well as toilet and wash facilities.
Yes. There are toilet trailers, showers, changing rooms and wash sinks. Everything else you need to bring.
The Mountain Weather Information Service or the Met Office's mountain forecast for the Lake District
For an indication of the pace you need to be able to walk at, and the routes you will be covering, have a look at our route page.
Yes. Well behaved(!) dogs are welcome. They need to be kept on a lead in any areas with livestock and are the responsibility of the owner at HQ. Please ask a volunteer if you need a water bowl.
There are a host of fine pubs in Grasmere – but we hope you join us on Friday and Saturday in the event marquee to meet WWTW staff, beneficiaries and other teams. There will be food and a cheap, cash bar. For Sunday lunch any of the local pubs are excellent.
All this information is on our route page.
You can part at the event ground and leave your car overnight on Friday and Saturday at your own risk. Usual common sense rules apply. Please don’t leave valuables in the car and please comply with all requests by our volunteers.
Friday and Saturday evening buffet meals. Bacon rolls for Saturday breakfast and afternoon tea and cake. Please note you need to provide your own packed lunch and emergency snacks for the hill itself.
Yes. Please email Hilary on argillhouse@gmail.com if you would like to order a packed lunch including your choices by no later than 12 noon Thursday 17th May
Packed Lunches for participants, to be collected at the catering area of the main marquee from 8am Saturday 19th May 2018
All wrapped and placed in a bag ready for collection
£8 per Packed Lunch (cash only on receipt)
Yes, thanks to Adnams in 2016, in 2017 thanks to Keswick Brewing Co. who have brewed a special ‘Cumbrian Challenge’ beer and in 2018 thanks to Heineken.
No. There’s a (cheap) cash bar on the Friday and Saturday with various beers, wine and soft drinks. All profit to the charity. Cash only so please stop at the cash machine before you come.
The race is strictly teams of four but friends/family are welcome at the event HQ. We just need to know numbers in advance and they will need to purchase an event wristband (a donation of £25 to the charity by calling the office on 01263 863 902) to cover their food and entertainment for the weekend.
If you can’t take part and want to volunteer, or are coming along to support a colleague or family member and want to help out then please email viveca@wwtw.org.uk
Yes, there will be a small merchandise stand selling hats, tech t-shirts, waterproof jackets and fleeces or you can visit our online shop in advance.
Each year we inevitably have a few teams which need to pull out from the Cumbrian Challenge in advance, because of injury or illness. The entry fee is non-refundable or transferable. Please take care during your training to pace yourself and build up distances slowly to avoid the risk of injury.
More questions? Please email viveca@wwtw.org.uk or call us on 01263 863 902.
Train together, fundraise together, then experience a memorable and uplifting weekend together with your team in the Lake District meeting and hearing directly from some of the incredible men and women who WWTW have been able to support during their career transition from the military and which is down entirely to your extraordinary fundraising efforts.
“A brief note to thank you all at WWTW for the amazing time Shard Capital had in the Lakes over the weekend. I was greeted in the office this morning by a lot of smiling, sunburnt faces, along with a few people walking like cowboys!” Patrick Dean, COO, Shard Capital
Spread the word and sign up rival teams from your office, industry or friendship network to join us and up to 800 participants.
Corporate teams to have taken part include RBS, Speedflex, FDM, BAE Systems, KPMG, Birketts, ESRI, Virgin Money, Jones Lang LaSalle, Serco, NHS, Bunn Fertiliser, Aegis, Edison, Shard Capital and many more.
“Thank you very much for staging an excellent Cumbrian Challenge. I am now walking like John Wayne but safe in the knowledge that it is all for a very good cause! I thought the route was excellent. The marshalling and check points were very well organised and the encouragement from all and sundry was hugely appreciated!” Peter Bristowe, Founding Director, Edison