A WOKINGHAM man is getting ready to run, kayak, hike and trek his way across Saint Lucia to raise £100,000 for sick infants in the Caribbean.
For Karl Thompson, 56, this is the third year in a row that he has embarked on the ‘Island Challenge’ – a physical fitness event dreamt up by him and two colleagues over a pint in 2022.
This year, the Sandals Foundation Island Challenge – Saint Lucia 2025 will take place over four consecutive days and will include a half marathon, kayaking across choppy waters, trekking through tropical rainforests and hiking up Gros Piton, one of the island’s famous dormant volcanoes which stands at 798 metres high.
Thompson will be joined by a team of 30 other UK participants including colleagues and partners from the travel industry.
Previous Island Challenge events, which took place in Antigua in 2023 and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines last year, both successfully raised over £100,000 each for paediatric healthcare facilities in the Caribbean.
Money raised from this year’s event will fund essential new equipment for the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) in the Paediatric Division of Saint Lucia’s Millennium Medical Complex. The unit cares for around 180 critically ill babies every year and stands as a symbol of hope for families experiencing difficult times.
Karl is Managing Director of Unique Vacations UK Ltd., an affiliate of the exclusive worldwide sales and marketing representative for Sandals Resorts.
He said: “I’m so proud of what the Island Challenge has achieved over the last two years. “£200,000 is a phenomenal amount of money and it has made a huge difference to paediatric healthcare facilities in the Caribbean, and to families going through extreme difficulties.
“I’d like to say a massive thank you to all the participants, volunteers and donors who have supported us.
“As we gear up for our third Island Challenge in as many years, I’d love everyone to donate whatever they can to help us beat what we raised last year and make even more of an impact.
The third time’s a charm, as they say.”
Sponsors of the Island Challenge Saint Lucia include the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, British Airways, TTG Media, Men’s Health – part of Hearst Magazines, Hays Travel, Mail Metro Media Group, Eight & Four, redpill, TripAdvisor, Accord Marketing, Threadneedle Media, The InPrint Group, Mobile Media, Air Canada Vacations and WeTransfer, with support from Sandals Halcyon Beach resort and Island Routes Adventure Tours.
For more information and to donate to the Sandals Foundation Island Challenge in Saint Lucia, justgiving.com and search for islandchallenge 2025.
To learn about the Sandals Foundation and projects the charity supports each year, log onto: sandalsfounation.org
