Horsham mother and daughter to trek Saharan desert for Crawley hospice

Writer and editor Lucy Pitts and her teenage daughter Greta Pitts are preparing for a four day trek will see the duo cross ancient dried up river beds, sand dunes and sun-baked plains.

Set to raise money for Crawley’s St Catherine’s Hospice, the charity champions will undertake the Saharan challenge in March.

Lucy said: “A friend of mine mentioned this trek and I instantly knew I wanted to get involved.

“St. Catherine’s is such an important local facility and over the years I’ve known a number of people who’ve spent their last few weeks there. “It’s given them dignity and space at perhaps the most important point in their and their families’ lives.

“When my daughter heard about the trek, she wanted to join me.

“She was only 13 at the time so I had my reservations but over the last year, she has consistently trained hard and raised over £2,000.

“Training has consisted of putting up with me for hours on end as we trek across the Sussex countryside!

“Once we get to Morocco, what an amazing experience it will be for us both.”

Lucy and Greta are being sponsored by Horsham business Pure Bio Ltd, a supplier of nutritional supplements including products specifically aimed at supporting cancer and radiotherapy patients.

Janette Whitney, Pure Bio Ltd owner, said: “I know Lucy of old and I’m also always keen to support local causes.

“When I heard that she was planning to trek across the Sahara Desert, it seemed entirely right to sponsor her.

“A large part of what we do at Pure Bio is to help health practitioners support their patients and clients with pure, natural products, particularly cancer patients.

“I’m also well aware that St. Catherine’s Hospice is a vital part of local care provided for the terminally ill and it’s a cause that’s close to my heart.

“I think Lucy is mad but it’s a great cause and I wish her and her daughter every success with the challenge.”

The mother and daughter have already raised thousands of pounds in support of the hospice, which relies on the support of the community.

Lucy said: “I’m so delighted that Pure Bio are supporting us, and they’ve helped us reach our combined target of £4,040!

“Obviously, I’ll also be popping into their shop in Horsham to see if they can help with any natural nutritional supplements to help keep us going!”

Sponsor Lucy and Greta at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lucy-dk-pitts.

Find out more about Pure Bio at www.purebio.co.uk.