Virgin Money is to sponsor the South Pole Allied Challenge, which will raise much needed funds for Walking With The Wounded (WWTW).
Under the patronage of Prince Harry, three teams of wounded servicemen and women from the UK, USA and Commonwealth, will race 335km to the South Pole. The race will start on 30 November and finish around 15 December 2013. The UK team will be led by Prince Harry, the US team by Alexander Skarsgard and the Commonwealth team by Dominic West.
Founded in 2010, WWTW was set up to raise funds for programs that look beyond the immediate medical care required for wounded soldiers as they transition from military to civilian life, enabling them to find new career paths after they have left the Armed Forces. WWTW stages extreme expeditions to illustrate the extraordinary determination and courage of injured ex-service people. The charity has raised over £3.5m with funds going towards new qualifications and further education for all wounded, injured and sick personnel.
Before setting off, the teams will be spending 24 hours in a cold chamber to acclimatise for the tough conditions ahead. They will then continue preparations in Norway before heading to Novolazarevskaya Airbase in Antartica for final preparations before the start of the race on 30 November 2013.
To get involved people can support the teams via a special fundraising hub on Virgin Money Giving or set up a page for their own walking events.
Virgin Money’s chief executive, Jayne-Anne Gadhia, said: “Virgin Money is very proud to sponsor the South Pole Allied Challenge. It will test the stamina and bravery of the team members and their ground crews in one of the world’s most challenging and extreme environments. Such an extraordinary feat of endurance, under the patronage of Prince Harry, will enable the charity to raise awareness and boost much needed fundraising.
“We have created a special South Pole Allied Challenge fundraising hub at Virgin Money Giving which will allow people to get involved to help raise money, and we hope we can help the charity receive a significant boost in funds raised.”
Virginmoneygiving.com is free for fundraisers and has a 2% fee on all donations before Gift Aid, which means for every £10 raised charities receive £12.15.
The Allied Expedition partners include Soldier On (Australia), Soldiers to Summits (USA) and Soldier On (Canada), all of which work with wounded personnel to rehabilitate post injury.
