Earls Colne man raises over £1.2k with Sahara Desert trek

Alexander Baines, 27, has lived in Earls Colne since 2007 and has completed a range of walking challenges for various charities.

In 2022, he volunteered for ‘absolutely every fundraiser’ held by Dementia UK, which led him to run the London Marathon dressed as Where’s Wally.

Since the marathon, Alexander has continued to wear his Wally costume for every fundraising event he partakes in being recognised and encouraged by many families and children.

The group had their guides and two camels with them throughout the trek (Image: Alexander Baines) Last week, Alex took on an ‘extreme’ walking challenge, seeing him and fellow trekkers walking 100km across the Sahara Desert in five days.

The group navigated the desert with just their guides and two camels.

Alex took on the challenge to raise money for Cancer Research UK all while wearing his Where’s Wally costume. 

Alex said: “After getting off the propeller plane at Ouarzazate, we stopped off for a four-hour sleep in a hotel before being driven out in 4x4s in the morning for our first day.

“On day one we were dropped off in the middle of literally nowhere and walked 8.7 miles until we found camp.

“Each day was very different and posed its own challenges.

“Seeing oasis’ in the desert is no illusion especially when Morrocco was heavily rained upon this year after 15 years.

“I went to see the stars but the adventure itself and my fellow trekkers surprised me.

 “Physically I came away with no cuts, scars or blisters but it was definitely an extreme challenge - especially the heat."

In total, Alex has raised over £1.2K for Cancer Research UK (Image: Alexander Baines) With this challenge, Alex raised a whopping £1,200 for Cancer Research UK.

Alex added: “The trek went very well.

“I came away with more than I could have expected."

For more information, visit Alex's 2024 Challenges