FACING challenges for charity is something that most people are familiar with, but a recent six month challenge saw one Farnham man take on a 15,000 kilometre (km) journey from the Caribbean to Southern Patagonia.

James England, aged 27, took a career break last year to travel and take on challenges across South America for the charity Cardiomyopathy UK.

He said: “The challenge was to travel the length of South America overland.

“It was a 15,000km self-financed solo expedition from the Caribbean Coast to Southern Patagonia to raise money for Cardiomyopathy - helping to change the lives of people affected by cardiac conditions.”

He has raised over £2,000 by taking on the six month challenge, smashing his original £1,000 target.

James said: “I was delighted to surpass the original target, and everything else has been a bonus.

“A massive thanks to everyone who donated and supported me on my journey.”

Along the six month journey James completed the following challenges:

* Lost City Trek - a 60km hike through the thick Sierra Nevada tropical rainforest in Colombia, following the path of the ‘Tayronas’, who inhabited this area long before the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadors, to the ruins of the ancient town of ‘Teyuna’.

* Huayhuash Circuit - a world-renowned 150km self-guided trek in Peru, crossing several spectacular mountain passes and taking in the Cutatambo valley, situated below the mountain Siula Grande, the real-life setting of Joe Simpson’s famous story, Touching the Void.

* Mount Pisco summit in Peru (altitude: 5,765m), overlooking the jagged snow-capped peaks of the spectacular Cordillera Blanca range.

* Salkantay Trail - a 100km self-guided trek from lowland jungle to the glaciated mountains of the Peruvian Andes, arriving at the stunning UNESCO World Heritage Site of Macchu Picchu.

* Huayna Potosi summit in Bolivia, a majestic but oxygen-deprived 6,088 meter glacial peak just outside of La Paz, the highest capital city in the world.

* Catching a two metre anaconda in the Amazon rainforest, which he said was “not my smartest moment”.

He continued: “I always wanted to travel to South America growing up.

“I took a career break in 2017; the journey seemed like the biggest challenge I could set myself during my time off and the best way to really experience Latin American culture.”

Some of his highlights during the challenge were hitchhiking from Colombia to Ecuador on the back of a 1987 Honda motorcycle, watching the sun rise over Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate (Inti Punku) marking one of the principle entrances to the UNESCO World Heritage site, climbing up to the southern Patagonian ice sheet in Argentina, and “all the great people he met along the way”.

But, with all the highlights there has to be a low point.

For James this was “catching salmonella in the Amazon”, which he said “was pretty tough, but good character building”.

James decided to raise money for the charity as when he “met the team at Cardiomyopathy UK and spoke with them about all of the great work that they do, the charity quickly became an obvious choice”.

He completed the challenge between July and December last year, returning home just before the end of 2017.

He said: “No travel blues so to speak, I feel extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to travel and to contribute to a great charity.”

Since his return, James has started as a trainee solicitor for law company Mayer Brown International LLP, who raised £86,000 for the charity in a two year partnership that came to an end in January 2018.

Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle and affects more than 160,000 people in the UK.

One in three people are initially misdiagnosed, with early warning signs of the disease such as breathlessness, palpitations, and dizziness being mistaken for asthma or anxiety.

It affects the heart’s size, shape and structure, and common cardiomyopathies include hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and dilated cardiomyopathy.

The disease can also increase the risk of sudden cardiac death.

The condition is usually inherited, which is why Cardiomyopathy UK’s 2017 ‘Know Your Heart Story’ campaign encouraged families to talk about their history of heart disease.

The charity is also urging people to take action and start talking more to identify people at risk.

Cardiomyopathy UK also believes that preconceptions of what a patient with a heart condition looks like need to be abandoned, as it was found to be especially true that younger people were initially treated for something else.

For the 2018 campaign, the charity is trying to challenge the more common myths and misconceptions surrounding the disease in the hope that their “voice will be even louder and further reaching this year”.

To see what symptoms to look out for or to fill in the survey for this year’s campaign, go to the Cardiomyopathy UK website at http://www.cardiomyopathy.org.

For James though the challenges aren’t over yet.

When asked if he was planning any future challenges he said: “Definitely! I’ve got some big ideas that I’m currently working on, and can’t wait to see what the future brings here.”

To make a donation, head to James’ JustGiving page to be found at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jamesengland75.