Emily’s Sahara charity mission

ONE of the most imposing and unforgiving locations in the world is about to be tackled by a Welsh fundraiser.

The Sahara Desert, which covers 4,800km from east to west, is known as one of the hottest places on Earth, with temperatures exceeding 40°C during summer.

Most would seek to avoid such a place, but for Emily Gash, a physiotherapist from Llanfairfechan, Conwy, the desert is the setting for the biggest challenge she’s ever undertaken.

From November 12, she will spend five days walking 100km across the Sahara, camping in the desert along the way.

The goal is to raise money for the Coppafeel charity, a group that focuses on the early detection of breast cancer.

Several walkers supporting the charity will take part in the trek, with the hope of raising several thousand pounds.

Emily, who was chosen from several thousand candidates for the expedition, has begun training in preparation for the journey, which is being called CoppaTrek.

The group of walkers are expecting to cover 20km a day in the challenging conditions.

She said: “It’s an amazing opportunity.

“I’m incredibly passionate about Coppafeel and the work they do.

“They are such a determined charity putting in a vast amount of work to make a real difference.

“If I didn’t completely believe in the work they were doing, I’m not sure I could take on such an incredible challenge.”

Asked what inspired her to apply, she said: “I spent much of Covid working in a hospice in Leeds.

“Sadly, you would often come across people who were diagnosed late, because they didn’t know what checks they could do for themselves.

“Coppafeel are focused on addressing that and ensuring everyone has that chance. Because of that, I knew I had to do something big for them.”

Emily has recently moved back to North Wales and is now focused on training for the Saharan trek.

She said: “I’m so happy to be home: North Wales has everything I need to train.”

Having set herself a fundraising goal of £3,000, Emily is hoping people can donate to the charity. Got to justgiving.com/ fundraising/emily-gash