A YOUNG woman from Wokingham will be trekking across the Sahara desert to raise funds for a breast cancer awareness charity.
Hannah Hollis, will hopefully be taking on a 100km challenge in November this year to support CoppaFeel — an organisation which promotes the early detection of breast cancer by encouraging women under 30 to regularly check their breasts.
The charity remains close to her heart after her mother was diagnosed with the life-threatening disease 10 years ago.
The 26-year-old said: “Her cancer was caught nice and early, she’s healthy now. That’s CoppaFeel’s main message, to get checked early.”
Although she works for Cancer Research UK, Ms Hollis said she was inspired by CoppaFeel’s founder Kristin Hallenga.
“I heard their founder speak at an event,”she explained.
“She was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer 10 years go and is still here living with cancer. She built up the charity, she’s an amazing, inspiring woman.”
She will be accompanied by best friend Natasha Evans, and the duo will fly to Morocco to begin the trek through valleys, gorges and sand dunes in the largest hot desert in the world. A total of 100 people will be venturing on the five-day trek, which is being organised by Charity Challenge.
“I am fairly fit,” she said. “But I wanted to do something that would really challenge me. I like the community element to it, a group of people and everyone having their own stories.”
The duo’s preparations are currently on hold due to the coronavirus restrictions, but they intend to get as much training in as they can when lockdown is lifted.
“We had great plans,” added Ms Hollis. “We were going to go to the New Forest and Wales, and other places, we were thinking of Snowdon too.”
So far, she has raised more than £1,300 of her £2,750 target.
For more information or to donate visit:comeflywithgicoppafeel.everydayhero.com/uk/hannah-s-100km-sahara-trek
