UEA student aiming to hike more than 600km for charity
By: Communications
Holly Gilman, a mature student at the University of East Anglia (UEA), has set herself the challenge of hiking nearly 650km (400 miles) in 2024 to raise money for the Pregnant Then Screwed charity and Pebbles Nursery and Day Care in Mundesley, with two ‘ultra hike’ challenges already under her belt and three remaining.
Holly, who is studying BA (Hons) Liberal Arts and majoring in English Literature, completed four long-distance training hikes of 42, 43, 50 and 55km before taking on the 106km ‘Full Island’ loop on the Isle of Wight in May, of which she managed nearly three-quarters of the course before being forced to withdraw due to blistered feet.
Holly said:
"Prior to 2024 I had never completed any form of endurance challenge. But I’ve really applied myself to training, and I’ve learnt through each challenge better ways of dealing with blisters and pains, and the mental fatigue.”
Holly’s most recent challenge was a 100km hike in the Lake District with a combined elevation of 2.500m (almost twice the height of Ben Nevis). This time she was accompanied by her friend and fellow UEA student Tanya Clark, who met during their foundation years.
Image L-R: Holly Gilman, Tanya Clark.
Battling fatigue and sickness throughout the overnight hike, Holly completed 75km of the route before having to retire from the challenge. She said:
“At the time I cried uncontrollably about how I hadn’t finished the full 100km. I felt so disappointed in myself, but with a little sleep and a shower and the beauty of hindsight I could rationalise my experience. I have come to realise that I pushed my body to its very limits, even if my knees hadn’t hurt so much, I was so fatigued by that point that I don’t think I’d have made it out of another rest stop.”
Despite this setback, Holly is undaunted at the prospect of taking on other ‘ultra hike’ challenges over the coming months, saying:
“I have once again learnt an awful lot from this experience and have formed new strategies for the next challenge, which will be another 100km in the Peak District in early July. I’ll be back on my own again for this one and I’m keen to see whether I’ll complete the full 100km.”
Image: Holly Gilman in the Lake District.
Tanya, who is studying BA (Hons) History and Film Studies, is raising money for Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM): a mental health charity which provides a listening service to those thinking about taking their own lives.
Tanya was inspired to support this charity in honour of her late mum, Mirella, a mental health nurse for 35 years, and someone who “looked out for those that felt lost or alone”.
Despite living with a chronic pain disorder, Tanya managed to complete 50km of the challenge. She said:
“It was the hardest thing I've ever done physically, an amazing experience, and a joy to walk alongside Holly. I'm just sad I couldn't carry on with her. Considering I have a chronic pain disorder, it took a couple of weeks to fully recover, but I'm proud and privileged to have been able enough to take part. What a beautiful country we have.”
Image L-R: Tanya Clark, Holly Gilman
As the Chairperson at Pebbles Nursery and Day Care on the North Norfolk coast, Holly has seen a rise in the number of children with additional needs, including physical, educational, and social. In order to provide the care required, funding is needed to change the internal infrastructure, purchase new resources, and train more of their staff. Pregnant Then Screwed are, amongst other things, lobbying the government in relation to the long-term underfunding of the Early Years which Holly has taken an active interest in.
Holly said:
“I’m keen to use the term “additional needs” in my fundraiser because I am well aware that for our setting, complex behaviours arise not just from physical or educational needs but social ones as well. Roughly 20% of the children going through our setting come from domestic abuse homes and that number has risen steadily. On top of that we have our children with Special Educational Needs (SEN), who more often now are not gaining places at the specialist SEN schools and who are deferring entry to school and remaining with us for an additional term or even a year. Our setting needs the funds to evolve and meet these needs.”
Holly is documenting each of her five ultra hike challenges and fundraising progress on her website and can also be followed on Instagram. Her fundraising page can be found on Go Fund Me.
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