News story
22 May 2026
A team of intrepid trekkers which has just returned from a five-day Trek China challenge for ACT say it was teamwork that got them through.
Not making it easy for themselves from the offset, the team included Nick Ferguson, a lorry driver for Royal Mail, whose fear of heights is so bad he can’t even climb ladders – so tackling the remote steep uphill and downhill sections of the wall was never going to be easy.
ACT’s Head of Community Fundraising, Donna Lee-Willis, who represented the hospital charity along with Rebecca Beattie, the Events and Public Campaign Manager, said – whilst everyone who went described the trek as an ‘incredible experience” – “Some found it physically demanding from a fitness perspective, while others found the fear factor of some of the unrestored sections extremely tough.”
Praised by their tour guide as having the best teamwork they’d ever seen, Donna said it was the knowledge that their efforts would be raising money for the new Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital and Cambridge Children’s Hospital that kept them going – with the team smashing their original target of £30,000 to bring in over £40,000. With money still coming in, the final tally is expected next week.
The team trekked a remote section of the Great China Wall from Gubeikou to Jinshanling and Simatai. Rated as “moderate to challenging”, they tackled numerous steep uphill and downhill sections, averaging six hours a day, whilst carrying daypacks. During the scariest climbs, with sheer drops either side, some of the team had to make it across on their hands and knees.
Donna said organisers of the trip, together with their local guide, Leo, described their support for one another as “incredible.”
“Every single person worked together to support the whole group and without that strong sense of trust, there would have been days when some people might not have been able to complete the trek,” she said.
She said Nick, who is terrified of heights, was “incredible throughout”- “battling a fear of heights while still keeping the group entertained and motivated. Despite some sections being very high and there being moments where it felt impossible, Nick managed to complete them all.”
Other terrifying moments came when Donna had a panic attack after coming across a snake on a wooded section of the trek, triggered by her intense fear of the creatures. She said messages from family members back home were what kept morale high during difficult times like this.
Trekker, Sharon, from C4B Media, one of ACT’s corporate partners, said she carried three people with her throughout the challenge. Her twin sister, Sarah, who had to drop out of the challenge last minute after months of training; Cerys, her niece, who has been cared for by Addenbrooke’s after being born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and is now a member of the Cambridge Children’s Hospital Youth Forum; and her dear friend, Julia, who sadly passed away in 2022.
“I absolutely fell in love with China. From the breathtaking mountain views and ancient watch towers to the demanding trekking days that tested both body and mind, every single moment felt special,” she said.
What surprised her the most, however, “was how quickly strangers became family” and having completed the trek, Sharon said she is grateful for “the friendships, the memories, the laughter and the reminder that joy can still be found in simply having fun and living in the moment.”
Happy to be home now with her family, friends and her Dachshund, Richmond, Donna said all of the trekkers have returned fully committed to continuing their support for ACT and its campaigns, with plans already in place to accompany one of the trekkers, Andrew, for some of his seven marathons in seven days at the end of July.
Summing it all up, Donna said: “It was a real challenge, with lots of tears and fears, but also plenty of smiles, laughter, and memories that will last a lifetime.”
Asked if she would do it again, she said: “Absolutely not. But it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I will always treasure.”
And finally, what will they all take home from the experience?
“That we are stronger than we thought.”
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