Superstar fundraiser, Stacey Bryant from Enable Law recently took on an epic challenge for Cerebra – trekking 90km over 5 days in Cambodia. Not only that, Stacey also managed to raise an incredible £1,505 for children living with a brain condition and their families.

We were thrilled to catch up with Stacey when she got back to find out what her adventures were like.

What inspired you to take on your awesome challenge for Cerebra and why a trek in Cambodia?

I am a massive fan of Cerebra. I first visited the Innovation Centre some time ago. The work Dr Ross Head and his team do is so inspirational, you can’t be anything other than impressed and drawn into the wonderful stuff Cerebra achieves.

As to why a charity trek – I must admit this was primarily due to a mini crisis on hitting 50 (in May). I had previously done charity challenges (a trek in China at age 30 and a cycle in Jordan at age 35) and wanted to do another one. My daughter is now 11 so it felt like the right time. I had always wanted to visit Angkor Wat so it seemed a good opportunity to combine that trip with the desire to have a personal challenge.

Did you manage to do the trek to Angkor Wat in 5 days?

Yes. We arrived in Siem Reap on the Sunday (6^th November). The trek started early on the Monday morning. We headed in to the Kulen Mountain. Every night we camped in a different location before we finished our trek at Angkor Wat on the Friday and started our flight home on the Saturday (12^th).

It was a total of approx. 90km over 5 days over varying terrains. Some flat, in the open, some jungle and also a very lengthy steep climb / descent.

What was the most wonderful sight you saw during the trek?

This absolutely has to be Angkor Wat. It is simply breath-taking in its size and beauty.

We were also very lucky that a couple of our camp sites were in the grounds of temples – how amazing is that?!

What did you enjoy about the trek the most?

Meeting some lovely people who I had never met before. My fellow trekkers were completing the challenge for a number of different charities, it was lovely to get to know them.

Our Cambodian guides were fantastic and the Cambodian people are simply the smiliest people I have ever met!

What was the most challenging part of the trek?

I’m not sure I can choose just one thing. It was a combination of factors such as the heat (approx. 35°), the humidity (over 65%) the steep climbs / descents, walking on large blisters on the balls of my feet, etc. Unfortunately, when you live in the UK, you can’t train for the heat and humidity.

Are there other treks you might like to do in the future?

I will definitely look at another trek in the future although perhaps not next year! I like the sound of the trek in India.

We’re so grateful to Stacey for taking on this awesome challenge! If it inspires you to do something similar then please do drop [email protected] a line!