A team from Cornwall-based Cornish Gems trekked up to 50km across the Brecon Beacons this July to raise funds for the county’s only helicopter emergency medical service.
Cornish Gems, which has offices in Truro and St Ives and lets over 180 of Cornwall’s
holiday homes, took part in Trekfest on 6 July as part of its 2019 fundraising activity for Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust (CAAT).
In addition to inviting guests to make a donation when booking their holiday, a team of seven from Cornish Gems and its St Ives coffee shop, the Cornish Gems Coffee Lounge, faced the 886 metre climb up the Pen Y Fan mountain in the Brecon Beacons.
Some of the team which included co-managing director Julianne Shelton and coffee lounge manager Emma Fashokun, took on the 25km hillclimb whilst Cornish Gems’ portfolio manager, Sarah Hemsley and her husband faced the 50km challenge completing the course in 12 hours.
The team raised over £1,600 towards the Heli Appeal which included donations from
Cornish Gems’ owners, guests, suppliers and business partners as well as the team’s friends and family. To date Gems has raised over £4,000 for its chosen charity of the year which flies more than 800 lifesaving missions each year and is a lifeline for residents and visitors alike.
Sarah Hemsley, portfolio manager at Cornish Gems and one of the team who faced
the 50km challenge, said: “Thank you to everyone that supported us and donated to
the Heli Appeal. The Gems training sessions on our beautiful Cornish coast paths
prepared us well for the challenging trek across the breathtaking Beacons. We are
all very proud to have done this in aid of Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust which is a
vital charity not only to us that live and work locally but to the many who holiday
here, including the 25,000 guests we at Cornish Gems welcome to the county each
year.”
