NSPCC North West Community Fundraising Manager Janette Drew is marking her 20th anniversary of working with the charity with a very special challenge.
Over the last two decades Janette has been so inspired by the support of the fantastic volunteers across her region that she has decided to take on a personal challenge herself – despite a series of health conditions.
Janette has never been able to take part in challenges due to severe arthritis and a heart condition, and in recent years she has undergone a series of operations to replace her hips, knee and surgery on her heart.
To mark her anniversary with the charity and raise money for the NSPCC, she and fellow fundraisers planned to take part in a sponsored climb of Snowdon, in an event rescheduled from May to September.
She said: “I have supported hundreds of people over the years who have taken part in some fantastic events to support NSPCC, they have all inspired me to finally give it a go and prove that you can achieve great things for a good cause even through these challenging times.
“I have never let my health get me down, and decided to put my energies into something positive, and signed up to climb Snowdon. Alongside all the extra training, I signed up with Slimming World and I have lost over two stone in weight. Every time I thought I could not do this I just thought of all the work we do with children and how important it is to keep everything going, and I dug a bit deeper.”
Last Saturday, Janette climbed Whernside, one of the Yorkshire three peaks, as part of her training – her most demanding challenge to date.
She said: “I burst into tears at the top. It’s 2,400 feet high and to date the biggest thing I have ever climbed. The Snowdon challenge is on September 12, and I am now actually starting to think this is something I can achieve, I really think I can do it.”
So far, Janette and her sister in law Debbie and daughter Katie have raised more than £2,000 on their Justgiving page, and she said she hoped her story would inspire more people to improve their own health and sign up to challenges for the NSPCC in future.
Janette said: “We would really appreciate more people to get involved and take on a challenge or come forward as volunteers, whether you can spare an hour or two, or want to get involved more often, whatever time you can give is invaluable. There’s something for everyone – from volunteering as a Childline counsellor, to leading assemblies and workshops in schools, helping out at events, or fundraising in your community.
“I think this is a great opportunity for everyone to get fit and slim, take up the challenge to exercise and do something positive for charity at the same time. Training and focussing on this event has really pulled me through lockdown with a positive can-do attitude. I know now the exhilaration of believing in yourself and stretching just a little bit further every week to reach your goal. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate 20 years of being part of such a fantastic organisation than taking on a challenge myself and I am proud to be part of the team.
To donate to Janette’s fundraising page, click here.
To find out about challenges you can take to support the NSPCC, or to find out more about the services the charity offers, go to www.nspcc.org.uk to connect with NSPCC in the North please email [email protected]
