This past Saturday, 13 November, saw over sixty outdoor enthusiasts venturing to De Bos Backpackers & Camping in Montagu for the 2021 Climb4Hope Hiking & Climbing event.
The Climb4Hope SA Foundation was established by local legend Tony Lourens in 2019 to raise funds for charities helping animals and people in need. This year, the event beneficiaries were the Eseltjiesrus Donkey Sanctuary, Animals Matter Langenberg and DKMS (previously known as the Sunflower Fund). All in all, it was a fantastic weekend spent enjoying the best that Montagu has to offer in support of a very worthy cause.
The day kicked off on Saturday morning with a bright and early briefing at 6am; Tony explained the event structure, and all the participants received their spunky event shirts and goodie bags – complete with a pair of Sanbona Wildlife Reserve sunglasses and delicious fuel from Montagu Snacks. From there, the group set out to hike and climb their hearts out, with participants having organised sponsorship from friends and family per climb/hike. Everyone took a unique approach, with some crushing at the Palace, others cruising at Steeple and some even rocking all 28 routes at Legoland.
After a long and lovely day out in the sun, adventurers returned to De Bos for the prize-giving at 6pm. As the two charming campsite donkeys wandered through the crowd and nibbled Tracy’s daisies, we got to hear from representatives of each charity who offered their thanks to Climb4Hope. Awards were given for everything from Most Routes Climbed to Holler of the Day, and no one left empty handed. The event raised over R80 000 for the beneficiaries – Climb4Hope’s greatest sum yet, and that’s with some donations still being counted!
It is hoped that next year’s event will raise R150 000… so you’d best start endurance training, we’ll see you there! Read More About the 2021 Event Watch the video catch-up
[…] reports that the money raised by the 2021 event was used to buy a much needed bakkie for AML, which they use to transport sick and abused animals […]