The challenge, which follows the hugely successful Sandals Foundation Island Run 2023 in Antigua, will see the team tackle hill running, sea kayaking and hiking to the summit of the active La Soufriere volcano in Saint Vincent. In total, 50 miles will be covered across four days in October.
Speaking at an event to mark 15 years of work by the Sandals Foundation, Unique Vacations UK managing director Karl Thompson said: “It’s inspiring to see the work that goes on. We’re really looking forward to the challenge – so let’s get on that journey again. It’s the least we can do in our privileged positions.”
The money raised from the challenge will help fund paediatric healthcare services and equipment at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital, and other local healthcare facilities, to support children in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Since its inception on 18 March 2009, the Sandals Foundation has contributed $100 million in support of projects across the Caribbean. The foundation’s core focuses lie around environment, communities and education.
Sandals Foundation executive director Heidi Clarke revealed the foundation has reached 1.5 million people in the Caribbean “through our work of building infrastructure in our communities, while also looking at education and ensuring we’re playing our part in environmental conservation and empowering Caribbean nationals to do the same”.
“Tourism has the potential to drive such positive change into every corner of the communities in which we work,” Clarke said.
She highlighted major focuses of the Sandals Foundation’s work including healthcare, particularly paediatric and said work will continue in education. She announced the launch of the Power of 15 – an initiative continuing investment in education, including looking at solar investment in schools.
“We’ve been working with local schools not just to build them, train teachers and get technology into them but also to look at how resilient they are and how they continue to have environments that are both functional and inspirational to children,” she said.
The new challenge comes after Sandals Resorts opened its resort on Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in March 2024, which was cited as a “dream more than two decades in the making”.
At the event, Sandals Resorts International boss Adam Stewart told the audience: “Tourism today is an industry that comes in many shapes and forms. But we believe when it comes to rejuvenation, authenticity and connection both on-resort and off-resort, there’s only one Caribbean and for us it remains a huge honour to do everything we do in the Caribbean.
“Fifteen years ago I as a youngster watched my father [Sandals’ founder Gordon “Butch” Stewart] do as much as he could do to give back. We came up with this idea and said we could create a foundation that connects our customers, our international partners on a belief system there is a lot of good in the world and show people legitimately how they can play a part and make real change.”
The Sandals Foundation Island Run 2023 raised more than £102,000 for The Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre in Antigua and the SickKids Caribbean Initiative, which the foundation has partnered with for the last 10 years, and saw the team cross 100km in four back-to-back half marathons.
To donate to this year’s Sandals Foundation challenge and find out more, visit https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/islandchallenge2024
