Recent leaver, Lauren, contacted us about her mission to trek to Everest Base Camp in 2026 and raise funds for Student Minds. Having attended Churcher's College from the age of 4, Lauren was an avid member of outdoor adventure, starting with Bushcraft in the Junior school through to completing the Welsh 3000s last year. Lauren's new challenge is to embark on a once in a lifetime opportunity to hike to Everest Base Camp, which is situated at 5,364m (17,598) feet in the Himalayas. The challenge will take Lauren through Sherpa villages, encompassing authentic Nepalese culture whilst experiencing an abundance of awe-inspiring views.

Lauren hopes to raise £4,380 as a minimum for Student Minds, a charity which seeks to empower students to look after their own mental health at university. 

Lauren, who is currently in her first year of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Bath explains 'My main reason for signing up was because I love hiking and it's always been a dream to visit the Himalayas and experience Nepalese culture in such an untouched and authentic environment, to be able to do this while raising money for such a worthy cause was an opportunity I couldn't miss out on.'

Lauren has self-funded £500 towards the cost of the trip and aims to continue her fundraising efforts through various methods including merging her Everest Base Camp training with fundraising. She is 'Walking Home for Christmas' from the University of Bath between 15th and 17th December, which is approximately 140km from home and amounts to more than 3 marathons in 3 days! She is also attempting the 3 peaks challenge in 24 hours in the summer of 2026. Alongside these training and fundraising missions, Lauren sticks to a gym regime and walks every Sunday with the Bath Team who are also heading to Everest Base Camp. Further fundraising efforts will include Christmas busking in Bath, Nepalese bake sales, pub quizzes and raffles and she is hoping to lead a guided hike around Queen Elizabeth Country Park and Butser Hill.

We wish Lauren all the very best for her fundraising efforts and we look forward to hearing from her all about her climb to Everest Base Camp.

If you would like to donate to Lauren's fundraising page, please click on the link HERE: 

For further information on Student Minds please click HERE: