To draw our Summer of Supporters to a close, we celebrate the adventurous, determined and wonderfully creative fundraisers who have gone above and beyond for Open Arms Malawi. From skydives and long-distance walks to jailbreaks, ocean rows, mountain climbs and muddy challenges, their extraordinary efforts have raised vital funds for vulnerable children in Malawi and reminded us just how special the Open Arms community is.
As we reach the final month of our Summer of Supporters, we wanted to shine a very grateful spotlight on the wonderful people who have gone above, beyond, and occasionally quite a long way outside their comfort zones for Open Arms Malawi.
Where better to begin than with our adrenaline junkies? In 2023, cousins Abbie and Sean voluntarily jumped out of a plane more than 10,000 feet above the ground — thankfully attached to a parachute. During their skydive they reached speeds of up to 120 mph, enjoyed incredible views across the UK, and raised nearly £1,300 in the process. They followed in the brave footsteps of Shona, who took on the challenge in 2021, soaring over the beautiful beaches and cliffs of Cornwall.
Also in 2021, Penny, Rob and Hector the dog set off on the virtual Miles for Malawi challenge: walking the 12,361 km distance from Harrogate to Blantyre without actually leaving the UK. Their route took them through the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales, Shropshire, Norfolk, Cornwall and many other corners of the country. Nearly seven million steps later, they had tracked their virtual journey all the way. Penny described it as “a wonderful thing to do during restrictions due to Covid” and sent encouragement to everyone else taking part, whatever their chosen mode of transport.
In November 2016, three students from Durham University — Marsha, Alice and Joe — challenged themselves to get as far away from the university as possible in 36 hours without spending a penny. Their jailbreak took them all the way to Rome and raised more than £1,000 for Open Arms along the way. Not bad for a trip with no budget and, we imagine, very little sleep.
2019 was an especially busy year for our supporters, who proved themselves to be creative, brave and, in some cases, brilliantly unusual in their fundraising ideas. Dmitri spent three weekends swimming around Bermuda, which has a total coastline of 103 km. We are sure we could manage something similar ourselves, if only someone would fund the research trip to beautiful, sunny Bermuda. For charity, of course.
That same summer, Charlie, Theo and Tim took part in the Mongol Rally: a 10,000-mile road trip from a secret location in Czechia to Mongolia. With no official route, no support, and a small car that was expected to cope with some very ‘interesting’ roads, it makes the M25 at rush hour look positively relaxing.
Also taking on a long and demanding journey were The Ancient Mariners. Setting off in December, Guy, Mike, Steve and John rowed from the UK to Antigua in their small boat, The Grey Escape, as part of the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge. They spent two months at sea with no onboard toilet and, at the time, became the oldest team to complete the 3,000 nautical mile challenge. We will just pause here to say: two months, one boat, no toilet. Heroes.
Back in 2014, Emma and her mum Alex decided to set themselves a small challenge: climbing Kilimanjaro. They successfully reached the summit of Africa’s highest mountain and proudly displayed their Open Arms Malawi T-shirt at the top. Alex wrote a blog about the experience at the time, and it remains incredibly inspiring.
Here in the Open Arms office, we also enjoy a spot of fundraising and have been known to get a little carried away. Claire and Suzie took on Tough Mudder in 2023, perhaps without fully appreciating what they had signed up for. What followed was a 10 km race with obstacles, mud, and probably a few moments of asking, “Whose idea was this?” Ros also completed Total Warrior with colleagues from Ashville College as part of their trip fundraising in 2016. Ten years on, she confirms this is not something she would rush to repeat, not least because she still has the scars to prove it.
Claire and Suzie, however, appear to be unstoppable. After last year’s ascent of Mulanje, they have now set themselves the challenge of walking the length of Hadrian’s Wall this September. A few additional ‘suggestions’ were floated — including rollerblading and wearing inflatable cow costumes — but we have gently reminded them that walking 88 miles is already quite enough, thank you very much. They plan to complete the challenge fuelled mainly by carrot cake and sweets. If you would like to sponsor their efforts, please visit their JustGiving page, and we will keep you updated on their journey.
As we come to the end of our Summer of Supporters, we are once again reminded how special it is to be part of the Open Arms community. It has been a real joy to look back on the fantastic efforts of our fundraisers, especially those who have pushed themselves — sometimes up mountains, across oceans, along roads, through mud, or out of perfectly good planes — to raise vital funds for vulnerable children in Malawi.
We are very sorry if we have missed anyone along the way, and we would love to hear from you if you have taken on a challenge of your own. Thank you again to all our amazing fundraisers and the support teams cheering them on around the world.
We are so grateful for every step, stroke, mile, climb, jump and muddy stumble — and we look forward to sharing more of your brilliant stories in the future.
Your donation will help children in Malawi grow up healthy with the love of a family
Donate