Great wall of hearts

The trekkers will be spending five days exploring sections of the ancient wall as part of a nine-day trip that also takes in the capital city of Beijing.

All the sponsorship they raise will go towards equipping the hospital's new cardiac unit.

I am not going to make up the numbers, nor do I consider this a holiday. Like the other people on this October's Great Wall of China Trek, my main aim is to raise money for local heart patients.

But unlike my team mates, I will be reporting for the Daily Echo on how we fare during this important event in aid of Poole Hospital's Valentine Fund.

We will be walking an average of five to seven hours a day, often climbing and descending from steep ridges.

We will be camping near small villages where our toilet facilities will be rudimentary and showers a distant dream.

I have undertaken several charity walks in the past, most recently this summer, when I trudged 30 miles of the South Downs Way in heavy rain and through the night to help raise money for Oxfam.

That event involved weeks of training, so I am under no illusions about the challenge that lies ahead for all the Valentine Fund walkers, no matter how fit they are.

In my job as health correspondent for the Daily Echo, I have met some amazing men, women and children who have had to cope with heart problems, in most cases through no fault of their own.

Many would love to be able to tackle a long distance walk, so I feel I am doing it on their behalf.

For the moment, my personal challenge is to raise £1,400 sponsorship, every penny of which will go to the Valentine Fund.

If you would like to support me, please ring me on 01202 411296, e-mail joanna.codd@ bournemouthecho.co.uk or write to Daily Echo, Richmond Hill, Bournemouth BH2.

Trekkers explain their reasons for taking up the challenge of China

THESE are some of the 16 trekkers - most of whom are from Poole Hospital's own staff - who will be going to China on October 25.

Christine Bean, 31, has been personal assistant to the hospital trust's chief executive, Lloyd Adams, for the last three years.

"I love travelling and have always wanted to go to the Great Wall of China, so to see it while raising money for a good cause seemed the perfect opportunity. My main fund-raising event was a summer ball at the Dormy Hotel, which helped raise £700 towards my fund," she said.

Heather Hauschild is general manager for medical and elderly services, which includes responsibility for the cardiology department.

"I'm very pleased at the prospect of having the latest up-to-date equipment in the department and being able to make a personal contribution through this fundraising effort," she said.

Heather, who is organising a photographic competition for the fund (see panel below for details), will be joined on the trek by her sister Deborah Le Noury, who lives in Guernsey.

Sally Brown, 46, general manager, trauma, says she was talked into going on the trek by Heather.

"I'm really looking forward to seeing some spectacular scenery, although I'm just a little bit concerned about the hole in the ground for those private moments.

"I'm looking forward to being away from the phone and the demands of a busy job," she said.

"Fund-raising hasn't been easy - asking people for money never is - but many people have been extremely generous."

Penny Jarvis, 52, trust performance manager, has worked at Poole Hospital for 34 years, apart from a 10 year break to bring up her five sons.

"I have run the London Marathon five times but this year I decided to do something different. I did a 162-mile sponsored bike ride to Silverstone in Northants at the end of February, and then ran the first ever London Half Marathon around the race track," she said.

"I particularly wanted to raise funds for the Valentine Fund as my husband had a coronary by-pass graft in his forties. Thanks to the care of the cardiologists at Poole and the surgeons at Southampton, he is now fit and well."

Yvonne Jeffrey is assistant director of nursing in practice development.

"I am a nurse with a background in intensive and coronary care nursing, and very aware that life is for living and experiences are for making. So the challenge of walking part of the Great Wall of China was an opportunity not to be missed," she said.

"I have been very fortunate in raising sponsorship from Bournemouth University and local companies that are aware of the need to ensure our coronary care unit has the equipment to support the patients it admits."

Also joining the trekkers are Ann O'Hare, 51, who works for Argos in Boscombe, and her builder husband Terry, 57, of Bournemouth. "My brother died at the age of 41 only 15 months ago. As soon as I saw the ad for the trek, I thought: 'I'm going to do that for him'. I also have a friend whose son has terminal heart disease. He's only six," said Ann.

"I was going to do it on my own, but my husband knew the effect my brother's death had and said he was going to come with me."

Those who could not make it to the photocall were Tina Stacy of Poole; hospital staff Mandy Legg of the biochemistry department, coronary care unit nurses Simon Bellis and Tracy Stoodley, Ansty ward nurse Nicola Hawkins and her mother Carol Hawkins; and cardiorespiratory technician Val Dunnet.