THE beginning of the New Year will mark the start of an epic adventure for 11 brave volunteers determined to raise money for a worthy cause.
The group, from in and around the Bishop Auckland area, will be embarking on a trip to the Arctic to raise money for the charity Diabetes UK, and to support their friend and fellow Bishop Auckland Rugby Club player William Barker.
William, 17, has lived with Type 1 Diabetes since he was 15 years old and is a volunteer for Diabetes UK, delivering talks to raise awareness amongst young people in schools and sharing his experience of living with the condition.
William Barker with his mother Linzi Heads and Evie Kinghorn from Diabetes UK
Along with his cousin, Ross Thexton, he decided that he also wanted to raise funds for the charity to move them even closer to their aim of creating a world where diabetes can do no harm, and to help others living with the condition.
William, who plays for the under 18’s, told his plans to rugby coach Peter Gallone, who immediately decided that he wanted to join William on his Arctic challenge, and that the opportunity should also be opened up to the rest of the team.
The rugby club has a strong sense of community, and in true testament to this, Mark Macnair, chairman of the club, will join William, Ross and Peter and fellow Under 18’s players James Gallone, Gabe McGregor-Taylor, Will Munro, Luke Redfearn, Ben Thrower and parents of players Bill Nixon and Andy Taylor, in their challenging quest across the snowy and treacherous region.
The group of 11 will spend a week in temperatures set to be -40 degrees, testing themselves and the five core values of rugby to its limits.
Teamwork, respect, enjoyment, discipline and sportsmanship will all be used when taking on various challenges, including ice fishing, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, being pulled by husky dogs and a snow mobile safari.
They will spend the week in a log cabin with no electricity, which means no mobile phones or running water.
Their final challenge will be building an igloo and spending the night in freezing temperatures.
The boys have spent almost a year fundraising and are now all set to go, having packed their snow boots and plenty of thermals.
William’s mum Linzi Heads said: “They would like to thank everyone for their amazing support so far.
“They have been overwhelmed by people’s support and generosity, and any further donations or sponsorships would be greatly appreciated.”
The group has raised £7,000 so far and is hoping to achieve the target of £10,000.
Contact linziheads@hotmail.com for details of all the participant’s JustGiving pages, or donate to the team by visiting: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/will-barker4
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here