Farmer raises £23,000 after 'extreme Saharan challenge'

Daniel Fairburn is now halfway towards the goal of raising £45,000 for Farm Africa

An egg farmer has spoken about his "extreme challenge" of running two marathons across the Sahara Desert, raising £23,000 for charity.

Fresh from competing in the Saharan Challenge 2018, Daniel Fairburn, a farmer for Alford-based egg producers L J Fairburn and Son, has returned to the UK to discover his charity fundraising figure has almost doubled to £23,000 while he’s been away.

Daniel was joined by Fairburn’s production manager, Egle Kalinauskaite, and the pair braved two marathons in two days across the scorching hot Draa Valley and Sahara Desert to raise funds for Farm Africa.

Now the father-of-four is back home to tell the tale, count the blisters and celebrate their fundraising efforts that have leapt from £12,000 to £23,000 in just one week.

Daniel said: “I had no idea what to expect from this challenge as I’m only used to running longer distances here in the UK and the climate is very different.

“It was an extreme challenge in every sense and I’ve got the blisters and worn out trainers to prove it, but it was worth every single step to come home and discover how much closer we’ve got to our fundraising goal.

“I’m amazed by the generosity of those who have sponsored us so far, from bigger companies to local people who don’t know us personally but who are showing their support," he said.

Daniel is now halfway towards the goal of raising £45,000 for Farm Africa, a charity which seeks to help farmers and their families in Africa.