Cafe owner takes Inca trail to raise charity cash

A CAFE owner from Teignmouth is undertaking the challenge of his life to raise cash for the Shelterbox charity.

Roger Palmer, 28, from East Cliff Café, will be heading to Peru to trek at high altitude along the ancient Inca Trail.

His mission comes after a year of dramatic weight loss following hospitalisation for a pancreas illness.

Shelterbox sends the boxes around the world to disaster areas to people in need.

One box contains a 10-person tent and ancillary equipment designed to enable a family to survive for at least six months. Other items may include insulated groundsheets, thermal blankets, a multi-fuel stove, cooking equipment, tools and mosquito nets.

Roger decided to raise money for Shelterbox following the earthquake in China last May which killed thousands.

He said he felt inspired when he saw how quickly Shelterbox reacted in sending aid instantly to the people who need it.

Throughout the last year he has been raising money by jumping out of an airplane at 15,000 feet, having sponges thrown at him while encased in stocks and has held coffee mornings at his café.

His fund-raising efforts have resulted in boxes being sent to victims in Sudan, Gaza, Congo, Nepal and Haiti.

He said: "I think the scary thing about doing the Inca Trail is that it is nearly the same height as my skydive, where it was freezing and hard to breath."

Roger initially thought he was unable to do it due to his weight.

He explained: "I knew a few friends who did it and said it was tough, but I had always thought I couldn't do it because I was too big — I was nearly 25 stone.

"But I thought about it and decided there was no reason not to do it anymore: I had lost nearly 10 stone in the last year as I had a spent three weeks in hospital with pancreatitis."

He signed up for the Inca Trail Challenge and has spent 11 months training for it.

"I thought if I can give myself a year to get ready for it, I could do something I've always wanted to do", he said. "It would give me one big push to lose that last bit of weight and get fit. To raise money for Shelterbox at the same time would be fantastic."

Roger, who has run the resort's seaside refreshment premises for nine years, has been training up to six times a week, adding: "I've never been so fit in my life, I weigh less now than when I was in high school.

"The trouble is I can get bored when exercising so have mixed my training up with lots of walks, going to the gym, swimming and doing training with the Teignmouth Beach Surf Life Saving Club."

The Inca Trail is 45km long and crosses rugged mountains at over 14,000 ft high.

Roger will spend four days hiking when he reaches the final destination of Machu Picchu.

He leaves on April 24.

For more information on Roger's challenge visit www.RogersChallenge.co.uk