CJPI provides emergency planning for Lapland charity trek
In early 2023, the annual Strive Challenge saw 28 people slog their way throw snow-covered wilderness in Lapland, in the name of charity. The event could not have taken place without the support of CJPI Consulting, which provided advisory services helping to plan emergency plans for the journey.
The Strive Challenge event takes place each year, as a high-profile means to raise funds for Big Change Charity – a social impact accelerator funding projects across the education sector. Since 2014, the challenge has generated £7.5 million in donations, in the sentiment that every journey “is as important as the destination,” with the event’s website stressing that “by setting yourself goals and striving to achieve them, you learn vital skills along the way.”
The 2023 Strive Challenge was held in Lapland, some 170 kilometres above the Arctic Circle. Taking place in February – which is often described as ‘the deep winter’ – the already icy land subjected the challenge’s 28 participants to extreme temperatures of -30°C. On the way, the group travelled by snow-bike, snowshoes, skiing, and even ran a half-marathon – resting in 200-year-old lumberjack cabins without running water or electricity.
Among the participants was British billionaire, Richard Branson. No stranger to huge challenges – having previously crossed the Atlantic ocean in a hot air balloon, among other famous stunts – said in his blog about the event that the group’s “bodies were pushed to their absolute limits”.
Such a dangerous undertaking could not have been undertaken without thorough planning, though. That’s where CJPI Consulting's emergency planning team came in.
CJPI is an independent consulting firm helping organisations to identify, plan and deliver strategy in complex and risky environments. The firm’s experts developed a comprehensive medical plan for the 2023 Strive Challenge, addressing various potential risks and ensured that medical and physical therapy could be safely delivered in extreme cold environments.
The work saw CJPI’s team collaborate with the event organisers, local teams in Lapland and other stakeholders to understand the risks and requirements. They then devised a plan that would effectively manage the day-to-day health requirements of the participants, as well as any medical emergencies that may arise during the event.
Chris Percival, CJPI Consulting's CEO – who also led the medical team for the event – commented, "We are thrilled to have been able to support Strive Challenge and Big Change once again, this time in Lapland. It was a pleasure to offer our expertise to develop a robust emergency response strategy and plan which ensured the safety of the participants from a primary care, physiotherapy, and emergency care perspective."
