FROM October 18-28 I will be joining a team of around 50 trekkers for the challenge of a lifetime as we journey to the Tibetan region of Northern India to embark on a 67km trek through the Himalayas.

Everyone taking part in the trek will be fundraising for St Barnabas House, the local hospice for the Worthing, Adur, Arun and Henfield areas.

I thought I would kick-off my Dalai Lama India Trek blog by giving a bit of background about who I am and why I decided to take part.

I’ve worked for St Barnabas House for over two years now, and during that time I’ve witnessed the vital care and support the hospice provides first-hand.

Hospices are truly special places and provide incredible support for people at a time of great need, when they are approaching the end of their lives.

One thing has been very noticeable during my time working for St Barnabas House, and that’s just how many local people know of somebody who has been cared for by the hospice at some point.

More often than not, when I tell someone I work at St Barnabas, they will have had a relative, friend, colleague, or know of somebody who has been on the receiving end of the care the organisation provides.

We are very fortunate to be so well supported by the people in our local community, the generosity of whom never ceases to amaze me.

My fellow trekkers and I will be asking our own friends, family and colleagues to show that incredible generosity in support of our fundraising over the next few months

When I was asked whether I would consider taking one of the three staff places on the Dalai Lama India Trek it didn’t take me long to make up my mind.

The trek will be an extraordinary experience; an opportunity to visit and learn about a new country while challenging myself in a way I never have before.

I work within the Marketing Team at St Barnabas House, and my role on the trek will be to share the experience with everyone back at home, hopefully inspiring some of you to take on one of our future overseas treks!

Leading up to the trek I will be sharing the stories of some of my fellow trekkers, and helping to promote their upcoming fundraising activities.

While we’re all out in India I’ll be writing a daily blog, taking lots of photos and videos, and interviewing my fellow trekkers to find out why they are taking part.

In February we had our first social meeting with our fellow trekkers, and it was great to hear about how they are all getting on with their fundraising.

Some of them are doing some exciting and unusual fundraising activities, including yoga days, quiz nights, wine tasting and curry nights to name just a few.

Our excellent Fundraising Team are always there to support their fundraising.

They can be contacted on 01903 254777 or fundraising@stbh.org.uk.

Personally, I will be taking on a series of challenges throughout 2018, including the Nuts Challenge, a firewalk and the BM10k.

My place on the trip is a working place, supporting participants and documenting the trip, donated by Global Adventure Challenges.

I’ll still be doing some fundraising though, and if you’d like to sponsor me you can do so by visiting my JustGiving page: www.justgiving.com/sam-skilton-india-trek

Thank you for reading and for your support!

Sam Skilton