Rochdale skin therapist raises over £2,000 for skin disease research with Sahara trek

Rebecca Graham trekked across the Sahara

A Rochdale skin therapist has trekked more than 100km across the Sahara Desert to raise money for skin disease research.

Rebecca Graham completed the five-day trek on 1 April, raising £2,300 for the British Skin Foundation.

Rebecca decided to take on the challenge in aid of the British Skin Foundation after witnessing clients with eczema so severe they were unable to work, cystic acne that ruined a person’s self-confidence and skin cancer that was caught just in time.

The gruelling 100km trek saw Rebecca and 33 others pass through valleys, gorges, plateaus, sand dunes and oases in Morocco’s forbidding landscape. The challenge started on the Maider El Kbir plateau, before ascending the Jebel El Mrakib. The final days were spent trekking along the Tikertouachene River before finishing – and celebrating – in Ouarzazate.

She said: “As corny and cliché as it may sound, this trip has been the absolute trip of a lifetime and there just are no words to describe it. We have laughed, cried, and supported each other every step of the way. We have battled through sand, high dunes, rocky terrains, climbed mountains, fought against 70mph winds, rain, sandstorms, scorching heat, blisters and everything in between.

“It wasn’t anything I had expected, but it was so much more, and I wouldn’t change a thing. It was terrifying, exhilarating, emotional, and life changing – life changing for me, for the charities we have chosen to support.

“As a group, we have raised over £88,000 for our charities. Thank you for all your donations; we are making a huge difference to those suffering with skin disease.”

Donations can still be made via JustGiving.