Kate Presses On Trans Siberian Challenge
Sep 18th, 2008 | By Carolyn Keene | In: Blogs, Charity, Features, Isle of Wight, Lead, News
Kates Update:
Hello from Moscow! If you haven’t already heard the news, I broke the 100-page barrier on Tuesday (October 6th), so I have effectively completed my charity writing challenge, I know I raved about Mongolia, but Siberia was equally amazing.
I am extremely proud of what I have been able to do. At the time of leaving the Island, I had raised approximately £3,000 for the hospice and I hope to raise a lot more.
A brief overview on how Kate Young, from the Isle of Wight, is progressing in her Trans Siberian Writing Challenge.
Having a free day to explore Ulaanbaatar, Kate says: The traffic is completely mad - pedestrians have to give way to cars, even if the light on the pedestrian crossing is green - indeed most people have given up and run across on red no matter what!
If you visit one foreign country within the next 12 months, make it Mongolia - you will be blown away, I promise you.
Having only been in Beijing for four days Kate said: I feel as though I have been assaulted by colour and culture. Kate said Goodbye to the Olympic City to step aboard the Trans-Siberian and go through Northern China to the border.
Trans-Siberian Writing Challenge writer Kate Young, has now arrived in Beijing and has already traversed the Great Wall of China.
Kate says: Brilliant Beijing!
Beijing is still full of all the Olympic flags and flower beds and everyone is very friendly and helpful.
The Great Wall is incredible and I climbed right to the top of the Eighth Watchtower in the North, which according to Chinese folklore, makes me a hero.
The writing challenge is going well and I am on target.
You can still sponsor Kate via the secure online site at www.justgiving.com/transsibwriter All of the money raised by this challenge will go to the Earl Mountbatten Hospice.
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I have had a frantic 24 hours. I’ve had an absolute phone crisis, so I have had to go contract and now have a new phone - though I thought the number had been transferred over and apparently it hasn’t - I’ve got a new one, so when I have a chance to discover what it is, I will let you know!
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This time tomorrow I will be on my way to Heathrow to catch a flight and start my amazing challenge.
Today I have been frantically trying to get ready, but I have also taken some time out to go to the IW Ploughing Match, where the Island Pulse team caught up with me and did a photo of me with David Pugh, IW Council leader, as well as one with Hugh.
As the UK paralympians return, Kate Young, from the Isle of Wight, will be flying out to Beijing to experience the most incredible journey of her life!
On Sunday (Sept 21st), Kate, a feature writer for the IWCP, will begin a ‘crazy challenge’ to write at least 100 A5 pages on an 18-day trans siberian railway trip, that’s about six pages a day or approximately 25,000 words in total.
When she sets foot in Beijing, her incredible journey will begin and see her travel one third of the globe by rail a journey of nearly 5,000 miles on the train.
Kate writes:
I have reached the: “Oh my god, it’s finally happening”, stage.
I am hugely excited, but at the same time I haven’t a clue what to pack. Temperatures will range from below freezing to around 25 deg C, so I guess layering is the key.
Kate will be sharing her Trans-Siberian journey with Nikki, an aqquaintance whom she has only met a few times, but as this is an adventure of a lifetime, Kate believes they will get on really well together.
Having already paid for the trip, Kate, intends to raise at least £10,000 for the Earl Mountbatten Hospice with her unique writing challenge.
She is still working on the fundraising and will be visiting the IW Ploughing Match on Saturday (Sept 20th) the day before she sets of to get a lot more coverage and hopefully more people will be willing to part with their cash for her admirable charity.
Kate writes:
I have been heartened by the number of people who have come up to me and and told me about how the hospice has cared for their loved ones. This is really what the challenge is all about - promoting the hospice and raising money for what is a very worthy charity.
Ray of the Footprint Trust, has given me loads of brightly-coloured pens made from recycled car parts to take on the trip with me!
We expect Kate has already boned up on everything Trans Siberian online, but we were happy to find this free source/link Trans Siberia.com All you need to know about the Trans-Siberian Railway and the countries it passes through. This is based on John Pannell’s personal experience, as he has already completed the journey four times.
Kate, who has worked for the IWCP for 12 years, hopes the resulting travel diary-style book will also be published and a percentage of any sales also go to the hospice.
You can find out all about Kates Trans Siberian Writers Challenge on her blog Click HERE:
About my challenge
Big Trip Itinerary
Facts
How the challenge evolved
Sponsor me
SUPPORTERS
Donations can be made Click HERE:
If you want to send money for Kate directly to the Hospice then you can make the cheque payable to ‘EMH’ and send it to Trans-Siberian Writing Challenge, Fundraising Office, Earl Mountbatten Hospice, Halberry Lane, Newport IOW PO30 2ER.
