Sussex mum embarking on 'Summit to City' Challenge across the Balkans

At a time when mental health challenges are increasingly prevalent among teens and young adults, the Now on Earth Youth Adventure Grant seeks to foster self-confidence, resilience, and fulfilment through the power of adventure. Through small grants, Now on Earth hope to make adventure accessible to more young people, enabling them to challenge themselves and grow in meaningful ways.

Chloe is due to embark on their second big fundraiser - the ‘Summit to City’ Challenge; a challenging self-funded, self-organised cycling and mountain climbing adventure, set to take place in June. She will be joined at different points by several teammates, including partner Russ Bartley. The challenge route spans three countries and includes the ascent of three significant peaks, covering over 750 kilometers of cycling and over 10,000m of ascent in total.

The Summit to City Challenge - Mount Triglav to Mostar

The adventure kicks off with a two-day summit of Mount Triglav, the highest peak in the Julian Alps of Slovenia. Following this, the team will cycle through the Slovenian Alps, then following the Soca river and crossing into Croatia. From there they navigate a coastal route that includes island hopping to Split.

Their second mountain challenge is Veliki Kabal, the tallest peak in the Mosor Massif. The journey continues into Bosnia and Herzegovina, culminating in the climb of Veliki Vran in Blidinje Nature Park. The final leg of their epic tour will see them cycle into the historic city of Mostar, where they will cross the finish line at the iconic Stari Most bridge.

Supporting the Youth Adventure Grant

The challenge is entirely self-funded by the team, ensuring that all sponsorship proceeds go directly to the NOEYAG. Donations are collected through a Crowdfunder on JustGiving.

Chloe explained: “This year we are hoping to raise enough to extend the grants to small charitable organisations that provide outdoor adventure experiences for disadvantaged young people. We rely heavily on corporate sponsorship; we had an amazing team of companies backing us on our first fundraiser, which involved a huge trek across the Hajar Mountains of Oman. I hope we can continue to raise enough to keep supporting young adventurers.

“The Youth Adventure Grant has been an incredibly rewarding project, hearing about the amazing expeditions the youngsters plan to undertake, and we encourage our applicants to tell the story of their adventure on their return, by means of a blog post or short film which we share on the nowonearth.com website, to celebrate their endeavours.”

Join the Support Team!

You can support Chloe and teammates Russ, Alice and Andy in the Summit to City Challenge, by contributing to the Now on Earth Youth Adventure Grant. For more information on how to donate and follow the journey, please visit the JustGiving page.

The team is also looking for corporate supporters, and offer great PR packages to any businesses who'd like to align their CSR with the grant. Chloe enthused; “It’s a great opportunity for local businesses to support their own Corporate Social Responsibility programs with an exciting and adventurous charitable project which they can share across their networks.”

About Now on Earth

NowOnEarth.com provides buckets of outdoors and adventure inspiration and resources in the form of short films, stories, podcasts and recommendations. We run Wander Woman Wild Weekends and the Youth Adventure Grant.