Josh Lewsey backs global adventure to raise Red Cross funds

Rugby World Cup winner Josh Lewsey has called on UK men and women with a spirit of adventure to enter the Land Rover G4 Challenge and help raise much-needed funds for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

The Wasps and England rugby player took to the River Thames with sports TV presenter Natalie Pinkham in a kayak race to raise awareness of the global adventure competition.

The Land Rover G4 Challenge combines off-road driving with activities such as kayaking, mountain biking, abseiling and climbing. The selection process is now underway as the search begins for one man and one woman to represent the UK in the competition. The successful two-strong British team will then battle against teams from 17 other countries over the gruelling three-week Challenge Finals, which will take place in June 2009.

The location for the Finals has just been confirmed as Mongolia – one of the most sparsely populated countries on the planet. A blend of terrain offering arid steppes, mountains and the extreme climate of one of the world's largest deserts, the Gobi, makes it the ideal setting for The Challenge.

Josh Lewsey said: “If you are like me and you enjoy pushing yourself to the limit, you need to look no further than the Land Rover G4 Challenge. The breadth of activities involved in the Challenge, both physical and mental, will test even the fittest individual and you will be raising money for a worthy cause. This is exactly the sort of adventure that interests me. In fact, I’m always on the lookout for something to get my teeth into when I hang up my boots!”

The partnership between the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the Land Rover G4 Challenge aims to generate over £1m over the next two challenges. In addition to this, the winning team will receive a Land Rover to donate to their National Society.

A donation has already been offered to the Mongolian Red Cross to support their Social Care projects. These projects aim to help the many vulnerable families in Mongolia and provide them with home care, referral services and a move to inclusion in the community.