A group of intrepid trekkers has raised over £66,000 for the Lincs and Notts Air Ambulance by walking 100km through the baking heat of the Sahara Desert.
On November 22 26 people took part in a charity fundraising trek through the Sahara Desert.
People from Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire did the five day walk to raise money for the air ambulance. They managed to raise £66,458 doing the 100km walk.
The group climbed Moroccan sand dunes, the biggest being Erg Zaher the tallest sand dune in the area at 1,900ft high. Slept outside under the stars and faced the heat of the desert which reached 47 degrees Celsius.
The group included people of different ages, married couples, groups of friends and members of staff from the charity’s head office.
Kay Chambers, shop manager at the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance charity shop in Wragby, was among those who took part.
She said: “The Sahara Desert trek was the hardest but most rewarding experience of my life.
“I am so proud to be part of this fantastic team and raising so much for this amazing charity.
“We were challenged to raise £1,600 each and I raised just over £2,000.”
Karen Jobling, chief executive officer at Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance, said: “We are so proud of each and every member of the Trek team for taking on the Sahara and for raising a staggering £66,548 for their local air ambulance.”
The Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance is a charity that needs constant money for it to run. It’s been running for 25 years and there has been 20,437 missions up to date, they need £4 million to continue. The crew get sent out to three potentially lifesaving missions a day so this money that is raised by these volunteers will go a long way and will be able to help them to save more lives. 
