A WOKINGHAM man is gearing up for an ambitious fitness challenge to be held on the Caribbean islands of Saint Vincent and The Grenadines this October.
Karl Thompson, 55, aims to raise £100,000 through his efforts for charity.
His first Island Run – Antigua 2023, last year saw him and a team of 24 other ultra-marathon runners raise over £100,000 for paediatric health facilities in the Caribbean.
The group endured 25 kilometres per day over four days in the scorching Caribbean heat and humidity, to achieve their charity goal and raised £101,216, on behalf of The Sandals Foundation.
This autumn, a team from Unique Vacations UK Ltd, global sales and marketing affiliate for Sandals Resorts, is gearing up to continue the ambitious challenge.
Karl, managing director of Unique Vacations UK is set to endure a demanding 50-mile Island Challenge in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
The itinerary includes a half-marathon around the mainland of Saint Vincent, two 15-kilometre runs, 22 miles of sea kayaking, and an all-day hike to the summit of the country’s active volcano, La Soufrière, all in hot and humid weather conditions.
He said: “The Sandals Foundation Island Run – Antigua 2023 was one of the most challenging but rewarding experiences of my life.
“It would be a lie to say I’m not nervous about the Island Challenge – Saint Vincent 2024 but I’m also really looking forward to pushing myself in support of the Caribbean communities we care so deeply about.”
Aiming to raise another £100,000 for beneficiaries of The Sandals Foundation, Sandals Resorts International’s non-profit organisation, the team will take on the Island Challenge – Saint Vincent 2024, over four days in October to improve children’s health across the Caribbean.
This year’s event will provide funding for paediatric healthcare services, including essential new equipment for the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH) in Saint Vincent.
This is the main healthcare facility serving the entire population of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
The 215-bed hospital offers diagnosis and interventions from medical and surgical specialities and provides 24-hour emergency service.
Its Paediatric Department manages babies and children up to 15 years old, with annually around 600 to 700 children admitted to the paediatric ward, 140 babies to the neonatal intensive care unit and approximately 1,000 to the maternity ward.
The Sandals Foundation seeks to improve the outcomes of these young patients.
Funds raised from the Island Challenge – Saint Vincent 2024 will be used to purchase equipment that will improve care for premature infants – in particular, those under 28 weeks gestation, who are at the highest risk.
A portion of the funds raised will support healthcare facilities and the purchase of new medical equipment in the Southern Grenadine Islands for the local community.
Karl said: “We decided to host the Island Challenge in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to continue our work in 2023 to raise funds for essential medical equipment for paediatric facilities in the Caribbean.
“Sandals Resorts recently opened a new resort in Saint Vincent, and it’s always been part of the brand’s ethos to immerse itself in and to support the local communities.
“We also wanted to support hurricane relief efforts in the Southern Grenadine islands where some of the healthcare facilities need repairing and new medical equipment.”
{{{image.1201498}}}
Last year’s funds were donated to The Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre and the SickKids Caribbean Initiative (SCI).
The Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre bought essential new equipment, including a transport incubator to provide a warm and safe environment for vulnerable neonates and babies during transfers, an electrocardiogram (ECG), an infantometer to track infant growth and development, a jaundice screening machine, and a blood gas analysis machine.
Projects funded by the Sandals Foundation are thought to have impacted the lives of over 1.1 million people in the Caribbean since the charity was established in 2009.
For more information and to donate to The Sandals Foundation Island Challenge – Saint Vincent 2024, visit: www.justgiving.com and search for campaign/islandchallenge2024
