Member Article

Northern Spire charity trekkers ready for Saharan adventure

THREE intrepid charity trekkers have completed their training and are ready for the adventure of a lifetime.

John Longford, Matthew Cook and Tom Harvey – who all work for Wearside wealth management company Northern Spire – will complete a four-day, 50-mile trek across the sands of the Saharan Desert to raise funds for the Dragonfly Cancer Trust, where Matthew is on the board.

Financial advisers John and Matthew, and marketing executive Tom have been training for the last few months for the charity trek, and fly out to Marrakech next Thursday (November 2). The group will then drive for four hours to where the trek will start.

John explained: “The organisation has been terrific and our trekking team out there will include local Berber guides and their camels and a cook. We’ll be camping under the stars in bivouacs or tents, depending on the weather.

“We’ll be following ancient caravan routes and the temperatures will be around 30 degrees.”

Matthew explained why the three had chosen the Dragonfly Trust: “It’s a small charity doing some fantastic work locally and nationally. We were hoping to raise £5,000 between the three of us, but we’ve already raised more than £7,000 so we’re now aiming for £10,000. We know the funds will make a difference in the lives of young people living with cancer.

“Obviously there’s a link between Northern Spire and Dragonfly through me being on the charity board, which I joined late last year. I’m excited and a bit nervous – we all just want to get there and get started.”

The Dragonfly Cancer Trust is a north east charity that works with young cancer patients with a palliative diagnosis, providing much needed support through providing cash gifts, keepsakes and creative therapy.

In less than 15 years the charity has been transformed from a small, family-led organisation into a national charity working with every major children’s cancer unit in the country.

John joined Northern Spire three years ago after spending almost ten years working with Barclays. He is a keen follower of local football and regularly goes to the gym.

Tom joined the Northern Spire team nearly three years ago after studying business and finance management at the University of Sunderland. He is now part of Northern Spire’s marketing team, working on business development and client events.

Matthew has worked for Northern Spire since 2019, and is also the Managing Director of popular business network The Mussel Club, which he runs with the help and support of John and Tom.

Tom said: “Mussel Club have been very generous with their support and have also been very encouraging during our training. We’ll be walking up to 20 miles over four days, and we’ve all made sure we’ve done the right sort of training and have the right equipment.”

The trio will be part of a 30-strong team completing the walk, from a range of different charities and organisations.

If you’d like to support their Sahara trek, go to Justgiving.

The next Mussel Club meeting is on Friday, November 10, starting at 10am at ABOVE on Dean Street, Newcastle.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Rob Lawson .