Back in March, we opened entries for our first adventure grant, where we sought to give away £1000 in cold, hard, adventure-ready cash. After hundreds of entries, 28-year-old Chantelle — known as Bonnywanderer on Instagram — was selected as the deserving winner. She will use the money to fund a trip of a lifetime to Tanzania where she will climb Kilimanjaro with her mum, Bev.

We asked Chantelle to tell her inspirational story.

Chantelle and her mum, Bev, both beat cancer and made serious lifestyle changes

Four years ago, Chantelle had never really explored the great outdoors. The shift worker who lives in Kent admitted that she’d always chosen a night on the town to a weekend in the countryside, until she received some devastating news which would change her life forever.

After finding a lump on her neck, Chantelle was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.

“The lump actually turned out to be a swollen lymph node, but while the doctor was checking this they found another, smaller lump which turned out to be cancerous,” Chantelle explains. “I began treatment immediately and in July 2017 I had an operation to remove the cancer. Exactly one year later I was given the all clear.”

Chantelle underwent surgery in July 2017

What made matters worse was that Chantelle’s mum, Bev, was simultaneously undergoing treatment for breast cancer after being diagnosed the previous December.

“She really went through it,” adds Chantelle. “She had chemotherapy and radiation treatment and took longer to recover as the cancer was a lot more aggressive. But she made it and in the process decided to take better care of her health, which involved taking exercise and staying active more seriously. Hiking seemed like the best option for her and I decided to join her in the health kick.”

Chantelle and Bev’s first hike together was Cat Bells. Chantelle remembers that Bev struggled the ascent and could barely reach the top. Now, she’s conquered 135 Wainwrights and is aiming to complete all 214 summits as soon as she can. Once she’s smashed this challenge, she has dreams of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest single free-standing mountain in the world.

“It’s definitely a bucket list challenge,” says Chantelle. “Life is too short to have any regrets. If all goes to plan we aim to climb it in 2022.”

Bev has currently hiked 135 Wainwrights and aims to complete all 214

Training will include several long hikes, incorporating altitude training and a few wild camps:

“We’ll need to get our miles in and get used to being high up with less oxygen,” says Chantelle, who has been a long-time wearer of Ascendancy Apparel gear and applied for the grant “on a bit of a whim” back in March. “The cost of the trip is somewhere in the region of £3000 so we were a bit concerned about being able to afford it, so this will help massively.

“Both Mum and I are now on medication for life and we attend regular doctor's appointments to make sure we’re still cancer free. But we both have such different mindsets these days and our lives have changed drastically. Mum bought a campervan and is now in the Lakes every weekend and while I would have previously been in the local pub on a Saturday, I do much more with my time and join her as much as I can. I never thought I’d enjoy walking but I love the peacefulness of being out in the mountains and fells; it’s so good for your mind and the views are always incredible.

“We’re super excited, but nervous, about the climb. But it’s not like we can back out now, it’s game on!”

Keep up with Chantelle on Instagram:
Bonnywanderer