Leanne’s Great Wall trek for women’s charity
FORMER reality star Leanne Brown swapped the ‘Golden Triangle’ of Cheshire for The Great Wall of China - and she took her daughter Halle with her for the emotional journey. Leanne, who left The Real Housewives of Cheshire last year, went on an eye-opening five-day trek, and she and 16-year-old Halle were joined by friends including Katrah Patterson, a survivor of female genital mutilation, and Elissa Corrigan, who starred in the reality show Bear Grylls’ Treasure Island.
As a schoolgirl, Katrah thought she was going on holiday when she was put on a plane to East Africa. But when she arrived in Djibouti she was pinned down and mutilated.
Khatra, who went on to have two sons and run her own skincare clinic KP Aesthetics, has since spoken about her ordeal in the hope of helping other sufferers and raise awareness of FGM, which was outlawed in Britain in 1985.
The trek raised £25,000 for One Woman at a Time, a charity that helps improve the lives of women and girls in Kenya, India and the UK who have been forced into FGM, early and forced marriage, poverty and denied the right to be educated.
Leanne, 43, loved sharing the Great Wall of China experience with Halle, who is keen dancer, and she shared a snap of mother and daughter gazing into the sunset on Instagram with the caption “take nothing but memories, love you @ halle.b.x”
And Halle lovingly described her mum as “a superhero.” One Woman at a Time was founded by retired midwife Jean Anderson and is supported by Leanne and charity ambassador Khatra, who was taken to Somalia for FGM at the age of 10.
The ritual, also known as female genital cutting and female circumcision, mostly carried out on young girls between infancy and the age of 15, has no health benefits, and can cause severe bleeding and problems urinating, cysts, infections, complications in childbirth and increased risk of newborn deaths.
Like most victims, Khatra was forced to undergo FGM with no pain relief or anaesthetic.
Although Khatra experienced a trauma at such a young age she has gone on to become a qualified nurse and now runs the clinic in Hale.
Khatra, who raised £5,000 towards the total, said: “I totally underestimated how hard the trek along The Great China Wall was but what I have learnt is that with sheer determination and grit you can get through absolutely anything.
“The support from the group was absolutely amazing”
And Elissa said: “The Great Wall of China ticked off the list and nearly draws to close the end of a wonderful year of adventure for me.
“I can safely say that 2019 has been the best year of my life. It’s been an absolute rollercoaster, with some monumentally tough mental, physical, emotional and personal challenges - but I’m so lucky to have experienced it all.
A fantastic trip with a fabulous group, all inspiring in their own way.”
Since waving goodbye to the ITVBe reality show The Real Housewives of Cheshire in January last year, Leanne says she’s found her purpose channelling her energies into humanitarian work while opening the eyes of her three daughters to the world.