Venari Partners Challenge: Meet the Team Trekking to the Fjords

The Venari Partners Challenge is just around the corner, so what better time to remind yourself of the amazing people heading to Norway?

We can’t believe it’s come around again! No, we don’t mean September, but rather the Venari Partners Challenge. It seems like just yesterday that the first group of intrepid adventurers set off on ourinaugural charity trek to Petra. That initiative was, at the time, Venari Partners’ largest ever CSR campaign, and its success – raising over £24,000 for charity while giving a life-changing adventure to some very deserving people – left us hungry for more expeditions in aid of good causes.

Now, the Venari Partners Challenge is back for another instalment. This year, Paul Harris (AKA ‘the Warrior Walker’) will lead our team on an amazing kayaking and hiking adventure through thestunning fjords of Norway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Instead of supporting numerous different causes, this year all fundraising for the Challenge is in aid of theCampaign Against Living Miserably(CALM), a UK suicide prevention charity.

‘We’re firm believers that companies should do more to positively impact their communities,’ says Venari Partners Director,James Parker. ‘By working with CALM, we will do all we can to smash the stigma around mental health and support the wonderful work they do. It’s an honour to support them – we’ve fundraised for CALM previously and look forward to raising more life-saving funds through the Venari Partners Challenge.’

Joining Paul are our very ownDee AngeliniandIsabelle Hanby, as well as CALM ambassadorRichie Driss– you may recognise him from his work as a presenter – plus, of course, the eight deserving individuals who have been selected through the Challenge’s open nomination process. There’s less than a week to go until the group sets off for Norway on 7 September, so if you haven’t been following the announcements on our social media, you can catch up and get to know the Challengers here!

Read on for more details about our incredible team here – andfollow their journey by supporting CALM today.

Agata Miskowiec

Agata lives in Brighton and works as a management consultant. She has shown extraordinary bravery and resolve in the face of a breast cancer diagnosis she received at 38. She battled real adversity during nine months of treatment, ceaselessly fighting through surgeries, lymphedema, nausea, countless sleepless nights, and sepsis, among other ordeals.

Having recently finished her last round of chemotherapy, Agata knows that the road ahead will be difficult, but that she can aim for new heights. She was nominated by her husband – ‘not because of her condition, but because what she has experienced revealed how strong and irrepressible she can be. How much happiness and delight can radiate from her even when life throws her a rainy day. How much love and compassion towards others she can muster at times when she had every right to focus solely on herself.’

The Challenge has an additional personal element for Agata, too. Her father instilled a love of nature and hiking in her since she was a child. He was born in the Tatra Mountains of Poland, ‘so you could say mountains run in my blood,’ Agata notes. They had to put their plans for the first hike in years on hold after Agata received her cancer diagnosis. Since then, her father has sadly been diagnosed with incurable lung cancer. ‘I would like to do this trek not only for myself, but also for my dad,’ she says. ‘I know that it would make him very happy to see me hiking, even if he can no longer join me in the mountains.’

Geraint Young

Geraint works as a pharmacy technician and lives in Chester with his wife, Emily, their two children and springer spaniel.

In December 2021, Geraint underwent a 15-hour operation to remove a benign tumour from the base of his skull that had left him completely deaf in one ear. Complications from the procedure left him with facial palsy and dizziness – but just six months later, he was back competing in endurance triathlons, and even completed a solo swim of Lake Windermere!

Geraint was nominated by his wife, whom he says ‘often despairs at my desire to do some crazy and sometimes impossible challenges [...] but this is one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. You go and grab them as and when they come up.’ For her part, Emily describes him as ‘the most determined and resilient person I have ever known. Whatever challenge he takes on, I know he will complete it.’ Just one example of Geraint’s indomitable drive is not only his swift return to competing in endurance events, but also how he adapted to his new circumstances. Having found cycling again challenging, Geraint now competes in ultra marathons and every year he tries to push himself even further.

No matter the obstacles, Geraint’s unwavering resilience sees him pull through. We’re looking forward to welcoming him to the Fjords!

Jean Knowles

Jean is the VP of a publicly traded company and lives in Tampa, Florida. She’s an engineer by training and has also been a US Navy reservist for almost 30 years. In the last three years, Jean has done three missions with the Reserves. She was nominated by a Ukrainian friend for ‘her recent selfless work in Ukraine.’

Jean completed a six-month tour of the country lately, which she spent in what she describes as ‘austere conditions: living in a container, working seven days a week, 10-18 hours a day to help our partners in Ukraine, along with 28 other countries.’ She stresses how much she’s learned about herself over the past year and underlines the value of service in her life. Having graduated from a federal military academy and worked her way up to the rank of Navy Captain, she is no stranger to hard work – and this extends to Jean’s civilian career, too. She was ‘the youngest female to be appointed President and General Manager’ of an organisation overlooking 15 companies.

Quite apart from the tough circumstances of Jean’s time in Ukraine, just two weeks before she set off her brother – with whom she had been ‘extraordinarily close’ – sadly passed away. When Jean spent a week in a coma ten years ago during a health scare, her brother was by her side reassuring her throughout. Among the difficulty of coping with his death, as well as her difficult time in Ukraine, Jean is viewing the Challenge as an opportunity for personal renewal as well as fundraising for a noble cause and having a positive impact on other people. She is resolute and inspiring in her belief that difficulties are ‘just something you look dead in the eye to find out what they teach you.’

Claire Stewart and Luke Slater

Claire, 39, is Head of Communications at theWatershed, an independent arts venue. She was nominated by her fiancé, Luke, as well as her cousin Lauren and brother, Daniel after being diagnosed with stage 3 bilateral breast cancer in both breasts last year. She finished 10 months of active treatment – including chemo, radiotherapy and surgery – last November, but remains at high risk of recurrence.

Claire’s had numerous other challenges to contend with while recovering, including PTSD from a stage 4 misdiagnosis. Still, she’s determined to move forward and ‘show other cancer survivors what’s possible.’ Claire recently received a new passport and wants to fill it up with as many stamps as she can. During her illness, Claire describes her world as becoming ‘very small: my house, the hospital, the chemo ward, back to my house and repeat.’ However, she wants to open herself back up to the world and get used to moving her body again, which she describes as being ‘a little creakier due to treatment – but damn it feels good to move it!’

When a last-minute space opened up for an extra participant, it seemed only natural for us to offer it to her fiancé, Luke, who’s experienced at first-hand the mental health challenges that seeing a loved one suffer can bring. ‘CALM are a fantastic charity. Sadly, it’s a subject that has touched my life in different ways, so I really relate to the cause. I can’t wait to get stuck in and raise some money for these guys.’

The couple are delighted to be sharing this journey together to do some good for others and bring some much-needed novelty to their routines. ‘Our wedding will be an adventure, going to Norway will be an adventure – heck, even getting out of bed and going for a run is now an adventure for me sometimes!’ Claire notes with a laugh.

Liam Power

Liam’s an old hand at charity challenges – not least, ones in aid of CALM!MONY Group, where he works as a Product Manager. He also looks after much of MONY Group’s CSR efforts; they have CALM as a charity partner and Liam has worked tirelessly to raise funds for them, leading 38 colleagues on an unforgettable journey across Cambodia last year. They raised £60,000: the largest ever donation by a corporate partner in a single event for CALM.

He has led and organised other fundraising expeditions all over the world, taking in the heights of Kilimanjaro to the Inca Trail, and from Morocco to volcanoes in Ecuador as well as lots of charity challenges in the UK. Liam’s efforts at the MONY Group alone have helped to raise almost £1.7 million for different charity partners. ‘It is something I’m immensely proud of – but it’s also the fact that when you are on those trips, you see people go on a bit of a personal journey,’ he says. ‘They develop friendships, relationships and bonds with people that probably would never have spoken to before.’

As tireless and selfless as Liam’s charity work has been, he is looking forward to taking part in the Venari Partners Challenge as a trekker. He was nominated by a colleague, Marianna, who felt that it was time for Liam to experience ‘an adventure as a participant rather than a leader’. We’re looking forward to having his experience on the team!

Matthew Evans

Matthew, 29, lives in North Wales and works forNewsquest. He was nominated by two friends.

Matthew has had numerous obstacles to overcome in the past, including mental health struggles that interrupted his time at university. He recently wrote inThe Nationalabout hisexperiences with panic attacks, noting: ‘I often get them when my mind simply wanders. When I’m not doing anything and sitting alone, I hear a whisper from the dark “What if you were to panic loads right now?” And like the slave to anxiety that I am, that thought begins to snowball.’ However, in a testament to Matthew’s resilience, he later returned to his studies and graduated with a first-class honours degree on his way to becoming a journalist.

Matthew is no stranger to charity challenges, having completed a number of fundraising cycles for causes like the mental health charityMind. 'I do not doubt that participating in the Venari Partners Challenge will be incredible. If the online pictures of Norway only half do it justice, then, well, I'm sure I'm in for the treat of a lifetime,' he says. Matthew’s love of adventure, the outdoors, and passion for raising awareness for mental health will serve him well in the fjords.

Gareth Sanders

Gareth, 37, lives in Bristol and is married with three kids. He first heard about the Challenge through his wife, who encouraged him to enter after he sold his commercial cleaning business.

‘I’d got very caught up in hustle culture, where it’s “I’ll sleep when I’m dead, I’ll work 20 hours a day seven days a week”’, he admits. ‘That became my personality and very much who I was.’ The birth of their first child made Gareth reassess his priorities and he began the process of selling the company. They took some time off and even bought a campervan for travel, but still it took a while for Gareth to recover: ‘I lost my soul. I thought money and status were everything and struggled to find myself again.’

Gareth has always had a love of adventure, having previously cycled from Belgium to Bristol and from John O’Groats to Land’s End. In recent years, he’s started running and making plenty of use of the campervan to keep things interesting. Taking part in the Challenge will not only help him reconnect with himself, but Gareth also wants to make memories and stories to recount to his children – not to mention promote the wonderful work that CALM do for people struggling with their mental health.

So, now you’ve met the Challengers – but they aren’t taking themselves to Norway! It’d be remiss of us not to provide information on our fantastic team leader and ambassadors from both Venari Partners and CALM. You can get to know them below:

Paul Harris

The Venari Partners Challenge requires truly inspirational people to fill the team leader role, andPaul Harriscertainly fits the bill. A Royal Marine veteran, Paul has also worked as a security specialist for the US government in Afghanistan and as a kindergarten teacher in Thailand. He describes the latter as a ‘dream job’, but visa difficulties forced him to return to the UK.

Paul took a job in a call centre, and admits that he ‘hated his life’ until a friend urged him to make a drastic change: ‘to write a book and walk the UK’ while raising awareness for men’s mental health. Three weeks later, Paul set off, completing the journey in April 2023 after an enforced break due to the COVID pandemic. Just six weeks later, Paul set off on another lap raising money for mental health charities.

The Warrior Walker’s most recent expedition saw him trek from London to the Paris Olympics in the space of a week, with men’s wellbeing once again under the spotlight – ‘because resilience, focus, and mental sharpness aren’t just for the Olympic athletes; they’re for all of us.’ Paul’s one piece of advice for others is to ‘just talk. I was a marine and I never used to do that – it's really unburdened me and made me feel a really good person.’ This message really resonates with CALM’s mission – we’re thrilled to have someone so inspiring leading the Challenge team!

Richie Driss

If Richie’s name sounds familiar, there’s a reason for that. You may well have come across him on TV or the radio: Richie was aBlue Peterpresenter from 2019-23 and is now part of theFriday Early Breakfastline-up on BBC Radio 1.

Apart from his media work, Richie is also an ambassador for CALM and knows the value of their services from firsthand experience. Having used CALM’s webchat feature himself, Richie believes ‘it’s vital that anyone that even thinks that they may be struggling with their mental health reach out and speak to someone as soon as you can.’ He has been open about hisstruggles with griefafter losing his father, but Richie is a firm believer that while ‘those terrible moments may make you feel like giving up, through learning about yourself, they contribute more to the baffling, awe-inspiring, wondrous, limited time on this planet than all of the good moments do.’

It's a privilege to have a public figure with a connection to our charity partner on board. Thank you for joining us, Richie!

Dee Angelini and Isabelle Hanby

Of course, we had to have some company presence in Norway! After an internal application process, we decided that Dee Angelini and Isabelle Hanby would be the ones to wear the Venari colours in Norway. Both representatives love to keep active, so we’re sure they’ll have no trouble navigating the fjords.

Isabelle is a Marketing Executive and joined the company in 2022. Having worked tirelessly to deliver both editions of the Challenge to date, she is looking forward to getting her feet on the ground in the fjords. ‘I'm thrilled to see this project come to life after many months and to have the chance to make a difference through fundraising,’ she said. ‘Mental health is a crucial aspect of overall wellbeing, yet it is often overlooked and stigmatised. Supporting charities like CALM is more than just a gesture of goodwill – it's a lifeline for those in need, and through our collective efforts, we can help reduce prejudice and promote better understanding.’

Dee, meanwhile, is a Research Consultant specialising in digital and technology as well as aviation, and also joined the business in 2022. He was selected for his fantastic work as well as for his passion for fostering and promoting diversity and inclusion. ‘I’m very excited to be joining the incredible Venari Partners Challenge in support of CALM,’ Dee says. ‘Every step counts to raise funds for suicide prevention – let’s donate as much as we can for this noble cause.’

Please do all you can to help us support our fantastic Challengers fundraise for CALM – be sure to follow their progress on our social media.

Meanwhile, we’d be very grateful if you would consider donating, and if you could share theJustGiving linkwith your network. Every little helps to support the amazing work that CALM do.

Tags: