Mum's trek in memory of husband

After losing her husband to meningitis, Laura Barley a childcare worker from Newton Mearns, took on an epic challenge with three of her closest friends.

The 38 year old mum of one (Lucas, 3), shares her experience in her own words and describes how her husband was honoured during the trip.

“My husband contracted meningitis in May 2016 and sadly succumbed to it. My son was only one at the time and has tragically been left to grow up without his daddy. I still wonder if I had been more aware of the symptoms of meningitis then I could have recognised them and got him some medical help sooner. Maybe things could have turned out differently.

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“After my family’s experience I wanted to raise awareness and raise money for Meningitis Now simultaneously; I wanted to try to prevent other families going through this.

“I was looking at the Meningitis Now website for fundraising ideas and came across the Great Wall trek. My late husband grew up in the Far East and we had previously discussed the Great Wall, and he had told me about his trip there when he was younger.

“It looked like quite a difficult challenge but a relevant one for me. I suggested the idea to one of my best friends, who immediately agreed to sign up with me. Another best friend and my cousin then volunteered to join our team - I am so blessed, everyone wanted to support me and the cause.

“We did fitness and fundraising events throughout the year and several larger events. We held a Time4Tea party, a Charity Comedy Cabaret Night and a Charity Casino Night as our main fundraising events. We started off aiming to raise £10,000, and we’ve now raised over £20,000.

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“We were told we needed a good level of cardio fitness to undertake the challenge, so we all upped our fitness efforts before the trek. We also combined our training with other fitness events such as a half marathon, 10k, 10k a day, and 5k runs throughout the year. One member of the trek team hired a personal trainer too!

“Each day (of the five trekking days) we did a different challenge. We were bussed from our hotel to our starting point each morning, completed the day’s challenge then bussed to our next hotel afterwards. We trekked less populated areas, in addition to some more tourist areas of the Wall including the Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, the 1,000 steps and the Stairway to Heaven.

“Day Four was by far the toughest and longest day but also the most enjoyable. We all had a huge sense of achievement after that day. That day and the descent off the Wall were definitely the stand out moments for me. It was incredibly steep and at points there were no sides to the Wall we were walking on, so it was a bit nerve-wracking! The team camaraderie was wonderful though, and we all supported each other fantastically, both our team and the wider team we were with – all 43 of us! There were definite friendships formed for life on that Wall.

“On Day Four we hung our Chinese Knots (which is a traditional Chinese decoration which you hang with a note to your loved one), which we all dedicated to my late husband, Euan. It had been a long day of trekking and just after we hung ours we reached the top of the ascent. It literally felt like we were on top of the world, and it was a real emotional moment for us.

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“It was the culmination of all of our efforts and having had that emotional experience of hanging the knots, it brought to the fore why we were all there.”

To date, Laura and her friends have raised an incredible £22,275.69 for Meningitis Now.

Meningitis Now is working towards a future where no one in the UK loses their life to meningitis and everyone affected gets the support they need.

It does this by funding research into vaccines and prevention, raising awareness so people know what to look for and what action to take if they suspect meningitis and rebuilding futures by providing dedicated support to people living with the impact of the disease.

For more information and to donate visit www.meningitisnow.org