FABULOUS CHALLENGE
Nine days, 50 miles and £400k raised, here’s what happened when 100 readers & celebs scaled the Himalayas for Coppafeel!
For breast cancer charity CoppaFeel!’s 10-year anniversary, we celebrated by embarking on our biggest Fabulous Challenge yet.
After signing up 100 trekkers, we enlisted Loose Women’s Nadia Sawalha, Great British Bake Off winner Candice Brown, The Saturdays’ Frankie Bridge and Love Island star Olivia Buckland (who brought along hubby Alex Bowen) to head up our four teams. And last month, the adventurers set off for Delhi, India, to trek the Himalayas. Fabulous Challenges ambassador Giovanna Fletcher shares her diary.
DAYS 1-2
8
As I was pregnant during last year’s Transylvania trek, I’d sent my husband, McFly’s Tom Fletcher, in my place.
However, this time I was the one welling up at Heathrow Airport as I waved goodbye to our boys Buzz, five, Buddy, three, and Max, 15 months. But I couldn’t be too sad because I knew I was jetting off for a good cause.
Our overnight flight touched down in Delhi at 10am the next day and we had the first of many team curries, before cosying up on the overnight sleeper train to the village of Bir in the north.
DAY 3
8
Arriving at our glorious campsite, complete with a yoga site and colourful yurts, we were awestruck at the Himalayas in the distance.
Suddenly our adventure seemed very real, and even seasoned trekkers Helen Mantilas, 34, and Alison Houston, 49, who’d both been on a previous Fabulous Challenge, felt daunted.
But after Nadia, Candice, Frankie and Olivia rallied their teams with a pep talk, we were all excited to get going.
DAY 4
8
Waking at 5.30am for our first day of trekking, we scoffed toast and cereal, before cheering on Frankie’s team as they led the way for our eight-hour hike.
Climbing in the unspoiled countryside of Mangroliar and into an ancient forest, a few locals stopped us for selfies and clapped us on.
The steep climbs were a shock to the system, hinting at what lay in store, but chatting to trekker Nikki Collins, 46, who was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in 2014 and underwent surgery and radiotherapy to beat it, reminded me why we were trekking to raise money for CoppaFeel!.
That evening, we shared stories over a curry and I was so humbled to hear the incredible journeys everyone had been on.
DAY 5
8
Up at the crack of dawn, we were in good spirits for our highest climb to 2,400m above sea level. Candice got a singsong going and we scrambled across rocks and along treacherous paths clinging to our walking poles, feeling like real explorers.
After a hefty five-hour climb, we reached our peak for the day and Ashley Earle, 29, scattered her best friend Alex’s ashes.
Alex tragically passed away from breast cancer in November 2016, aged just 26, and since then Alex’s mum Chris and sister Phoebe have both been on Fabulous Challenges to Oman and Romania.
We all huddled round Ashley to give her a cuddle, before heading down the mountain – joined along the way by a herd of sheep and lambs. Disaster struck on the descent as team captain Nadia suffered a knee injury and had to be rescued by our medical van. That evening we all enjoyed some well-deserved downtime and yoga.
DAY 6
8
After smashing it yesterday, everyone woke excited yet nervous for our biggest day yet – climbing 2,800m across a Himalayan pass.
Thankfully, Nadia had made a full recovery and as we clambered up the mountain paths we could hear her team’s chants, which kept morale high. On the ascent I spoke to Kay Collingridge, 43, who lost her twin Helen, to breast cancer in September 2015.
She told of how Helen was always the active sister, but her death had inspired Kay to take up this challenge in her memory. Trekking through the clouds, the weather switched from sunshine to hailstones, but at the summit we stopped for a breather to take in incredible views of the Sivalik Hills and the mighty snow-capped Dhauladhar range in the distance.
I felt on top of the world, but our day wasn’t over yet – we had to traverse vertical rock faces and waterfalls back down to camp. After an 11-hour day, we watched the sunset and tucked into rice pudding.
DAY 7
8
With alarms ringing at 5am, our feet were sore and legs stiff, but we were all gunning for the finish line. A bright-eyed, bushy-tailed Olivia and Alex led morning stretches, then we were off.
The trek was treacherous, with loose rocks underfoot and plenty of hills. To pass the time, Olivia’s team played I Spy and Guess the Fruit, while Alex fashioned a crop top out of his Fabulous Challenges T-shirt to surprise his No.1 fan, Cas Shaw, 52, who joined the trek after battling breast cancer in 2017.
With one mile to go until the finish line, we cheered until our throats hurt. Crossing the 50-mile mark, we were in floods of tears as we all received our medals. Looking around at everyone hugging and taking photos with their new friends, I burst into tears.
Pushing our minds and bodies to the max had brought us so close together. That night we were treated to an Indian feast served on banana leaves as well as wine and a boogie to celebrate.
DAYS 8-9
8
8
Today the reality of what we’d achieved began to hit and we were thrilled to find we’d raised £408,000 for CoppaFeel! – taking the total raised by Fabulous Challenges since it started in 2014 to £1.2 million!
MOST READ IN FABULOUS
Saying goodbye to our campsite, we hobbled on to a coach for the 15-hour drive to Delhi for our flight home. Landing at
Heathrow the following morning, we spotted Frankie’s kids holding “Well Done” banners, which was the perfect ending.
We may have suffered blisters, dizziness and a few cases of Delhi belly, but we’d made memories to last a lifetime and raised thousands for an amazing charity. Go us!
- Hear our trekkers’ stories at now.
FYI
Over the past five years, Fabulous Challenges has also taken on Machu Picchu, Iceland, The Great Wall of China, Oman and Transylvania in aid of CoppaFeel! You can still donate at
A guide on what to pack if you're going on a trek
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