Chichester pub landlady to trek along Great Wall of China five years after breast cancer diagnosis
A Chichester pub landlady who trekked 110km across the Sahara Desert just months after completing breast cancer treatment is taking on another major challenge.
Michelle Clatworthy, landlady of The Bell Inn, will begin a 65km trek along the Great Wall of China on September 5, marking five years since she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Michelle is fundraising for breast cancer charity CoppaFeel!, which aims to encourage young people to know their bodies and recognise changes that could be signs of breast cancer.
She was diagnosed in 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic after noticing that something did not feel right in her right breast.
Following a swift diagnosis, Michelle underwent a mastectomy, six months of chemotherapy and then radiotherapy. She was given the all-clear in March 2022.
Just six months after completing treatment, she took on her first major charity challenge, trekking 110km across the Sahara Desert for CoppaFeel!.
Michelle said: “I was lucky enough to get a place on the CoppaFeel! Sahara trek in November 2022 and training for that spurred me into recovery.”
She has since made raising awareness of breast cancer a personal mission, hoping to encourage others to advocate for themselves if they notice something isn't right.
After undergoing her final reconstruction operation in March this year, Michelle decided there was no better way to mark five years since her diagnosis than by taking on another trek.
The Great Wall trek will be led by Giovanna Fletcher, with celebrity team captains including Vicky Pattison, Sara Davies MBE, Erin Kennedy OBE and Dr Punam Krishan.
The 100 trekkers have been challenged to raise £600,000 between them and are close to reaching their target ahead of the September 5 departure.
Michelle has self-funded her place on the trek, meaning donations to her fundraising go directly to CoppaFeel!.
She has raised more than £7,000 so far towards her personal target of £12,000 through events including a wine tasting evening, Bonus Balls, a pub quiz and a cast bingo night.
Local breweries Electric Bear and Only With Love have also supported her by renaming beers for the fundraiser, while local designer Peggy's Difference has produced “These Boobs Are Made for Walking” T-shirts, with 40 per cent of sales going to the charity.
Michelle has also been training with support from Westgate Leisure Centre, where she has been tackling the dreaded stepper machine.
She has also used The Trundle, Kingley Vale and Chichester Harbour as training grounds for the trek.
Oving Medical Clinic is supporting Michelle's campaign by publishing a series of online blogs while she is away trekking.
Michelle said: “I'm lucky enough to be able to self-fund the trek so this means all of your generous donations will go directly to CoppaFeel!
“They are on a mission to stamp out the late diagnosis of breast cancer by making sure that young people are regularly checking their boobs, pecs and chests and getting to know their bodies in order to have the confidence to see their GP if something just doesn't feel normal.
“Thanks so much for your donation and support.”
Michelle is hoping to reach her £12,000 fundraising target before she takes on the Great Wall.
If you'd like to support Michelle, donations can be made through her JustGiving page. She is also accepting donations of prizes for her fundraising raffle via The Bell Inn at [email protected].