Aiimi runs Tough Mudder for #TeamUKYouth

This post was originally posted on Aiimi’s website here. For more information on fundraising for UK Youth, visit our events page or email us at events@ukyouth.org

There are a number of sore knees and elbows at Aiimi HQ this week after team ‘Tough Aiimi’ completed Tough Mudder in support of UK Youth.

By participating, we sought to raise £1,000 for our partner charity UK Youth. UK Youth is an incredible organisation, operating at the heart of a national network that helps young people in the UK achieve their dreams.

More than four million people already receive the support of UK Youth-supported charities. From support in education to influencing policy that helps children from less-advantaged backgrounds, UK Youth provides a vital service to communities across the United Kingdom.

17 brave Aiimi runners took to the rugged Oxfordshire countryside on Saturday 28th April to run, climb, hurdle, wade and hoist themselves and their teammates through eight different challenges set out across five miles.

Starting at 1pm, team Tough Aiimi took off from the starting line like a herd of gazelles. They dispatched their first challenge – climbing two incline walls – in mere minutes. Their second objective was to crawl through thick mud underneath a bundle of treacherous barbed wire. Once again, they overcame this with no trouble at all.

Then came the water and dirt, as the third and fourth challenges called on teammates to help each other cross rotating pillars half-submerged in chest-high water, then hurdles of mud. Coming together in a beautiful display of camaraderie, Tough Aiimi tackled these tasks with gusto.

Crawling, climbing and abseiling their way to the next challenges, the Tough Aiimi combatants threw themselves backwards into muddy pools before joining forces once again to help each other over two massive, vertical walls. Dripping with mud and sweat by this point, they approached the finish line with battle-hardened grit – but not before easily overcoming a pyramid of hay bales and a greased-up halfpipe.

The final challenge was less a demonstration of strength, more a mad scramble for the finish. After wading through a trough of ice-cold water, Tough Aiimi then had to help one another reach the top of a slippery slide. Failure meant a short fall and a hard crash back into the icy depths. But, with their willing demeanour and rock-hard resolve, every single member of the team reached the top and claimed their hard-earned Tough Mudder headbands.

Congratulations to everyone involved!

Support #TeamUKYouth

If you’d like to show your support for Tough Aiimi and our partner charity UK Youth, click the link below to make a donation. Your gift will help to support less-advantaged children across the United Kingdom in all sorts of ways, helping to pay for everything from a year-long placement, leadership training and personal development opportunities, to a stay at UK Youth’s Outdoor Learning Centre, Avon Tyrrell.

At the time of writing, we have just reached our goal of raising £1,000 for UK Youth – but can you help us to absolutely smash our target?

Click here to visit the JustGiving page and make a donation today.

Here’s what some of the Tough Aiimi team had to say about the event:

“I’m so grateful to have been able to tackle this challenge on behalf of UK Youth, and it was fantastic to join an enthusiastic Aiimi team in our first adventure-race together. I really enjoyed the Block Ness Monster (mainly because it gave me a chance to slide, swim and play all at once), but my favourite event had to be the Pyramid Scheme 2.0, which called on our strength and teamwork to overcome.”

—Josh Stanley

“It was a really satisfying experience. The whole team pulled together to achieve things I never thought humanly possible. My favourite challenge was ‘Shawshanked’, simultaneously terrifying and exhilarating! Today, despite sporting a wonderfully bruised exterior, I can say that I am already looking forward to our next (perhaps not so muddy) Aiimi adventure.”

—Daisy Hall

 “Everyone worked together to push, pull and shout in support of their fellow Tough Aiimi teammates. Nobody was left behind. Coming back to the office today I’ve found my skin has turned shades of purple in places that have never turned that colour before. UK Youth is a fantastic charity – because of them it was definitely worth all the training, pain, and having to get rid of my sodden shoes and clothes!”

—Paul Bromsgrove

If you, or your organisation is interested in fundraising for UK Youth, please get in touch.