Later this month a team of nine celebrities will take on one of the world’s most inhospitable deserts to raise money for Comic Relief. Speaking exclusively to The Courier, Lorraine Kelly tells Jack McKeown she’s relishing the challenge.
Most ladies especially those known as fashion and exercise role models would relish the chance to pick up a winter tan, even if it comes at the cost of a gruelling desert trek. But not Lorraine Kelly.
“Oh no,” she exclaims. “I’ll be completely sun blocked up. I’m very typically Scottish that way I go bright red and then it all peels off. I’ll probably come home with a wee red nose of my own, but I certainly won’t be tanned.”
The TV presenter and Broughty Ferry resident will be one of nine celebrities taking to the African desert to raise money for Comic Relief. The BT Red Nose Desert Trek takes place in the Kaisut Desert in eastern Kenya. The team will cover 100km (62 miles) in five days, crossing mountains, picking their way through rough bush, and covering lengthy tracts of barren desert.
Lorraine will be joined by comedy actress Ronni Ancona, singer Craig David, DJ Scott Mills, X Factor finalist Olly Murs, TV presenter Dermot O’Leary, EastEnders stars Nadia Sawalha and Kara Tointon, and broadcaster Peter White.Team effort”The thing that will keep us going is each other,” Lorraine says. “It’s not a competition, there’s no prize for being first over the finish line. It’s going to be a team effort and we’ll help one another. If anyone gets a blister and I’m sure plenty of us will we can share plasters.”
None of them is a stranger to Lorraine, and she doesn’t expect there to be any personality clashes on the trek.
“I’ve met them all before. In fact, I’ve interviewed all of them apart from Peter, and some of them have interviewed me. Olly and Kara were just on my show. They’re all lovely. I’m sure we’ll all get along really well and come to rely on each other.”
The Courier is the official local media partner for Red Nose Day and Lorraine says she jumped at the chance to raise money for the charity.Balance”I’d always wanted to do something for Comic Relief,” she continues. “It’s a really brilliant charity and does a lot of great work in Africa and in Britain as well.
“It’s also just a really good programme to watch. I always like sitting down on the sofa and settling in for the evening. You know some of the reports are going to be upsetting, but they outline what a good cause it is and there’s a lot of great entertainment as well. They do a good job striking a balance.
“I was delighted when Comic Relief asked me to do something this year. I’m always up for a challenge. My only regret is I haven’t been able to do as much training as I’d like because of filming commitments as well as my own show I’m doing Children’s Hospital, so I haven’t been able to get into the sort of shape I’d like.”
Continued…
The trek is sponsored by long-term Comic Relief supporter BT, who will be donating money from phone calls made on ‘Chat for Change’ day on Friday, February 18. The company will donate 1p for every call made from a BT home phone or payphone, and 25p from every call to its Directory Enquiry service.
The group leaves soon and Lorraine is hoping to squeeze in a few practice walks if weather and time permit.
“It’s the heat that’s going to be difficult,” she says. “I’ve experienced that sort of heat because I’ve been to Africa before. But that’s always when I’ve been on holiday and there’s been a lovely pool to jump into and cool down.
“The walking I can just about cope with because I’ve done the MoonWalks before. Although they are only one day so I don’t know how I’ll be after five consecutive days of walking. I’m pretty sure my feet will be a mess.”
The celebrities will be raising money for people living impossibly difficult lives in the UK and Africa. In particular, they’ll be highlighting the issue of sight one of the projects benefiting from the money they raise helps prevent people from contracting agonising eye conditions such as trachoma, a particular problem in the region the trekkers will be covering.BlindAs they walk, it’s likely that they’ll meet people who need urgent eye care. Part of their role will be to spread the word about a special eye care camp they will reach on the final day of their trek, which will give treatment to the people they’ve met along the way. This will have particular resonance for one member of the group, as TV presenter and radio broadcaster Peter White has been blind since birth.
The statistics on sight loss are quite terrifying. Somewhere in the world, a child goes blind every minute. Up to half of these children go on to die within two years. What makes these figures even more of a scandal is that 80% of all blindness is preventable, and sight-saving treatment costs next to nothing.
“It’s the people we’re raising money for who will be in our thoughts,” Lorraine says. “It can cost as little as a fiver to return someone’s sight that’s the price of a fish supper to let someone see again. It’s not often you get a chance to change a person’s life like that. If we can do that by just going for a bit of a walk that’s fantastic. We’re hoping to raise as much money as we can.”
With temperatures expected to get close to 40C the walkers will each lose between 15 and 20 litres of water and burn around 8000 calories per day. They’ll camp in the desert at night and they also have to lead the convoy of temperamental camels that will carry their equipment.Heat”We’ll have to be constantly eating and drinking,” Lorraine says. “Unfortunately that’s not going to involve tucking into a big tub of ice cream, which would be yummy after all that heat. The food will be a bit more basic than that and the heat tends to rob you of your appetite.
“Still, I’m really looking forward to the camping and the camels. I love all that stuff. And it’s going to be fantastic at night. I’m quite into astronomy and where we’re going will be hundreds of miles from the nearest town so there’ll be no light pollution. I can’t wait to see the stars. I’ve got a stargazing app for my phone you just point your phone at the sky and it tells you the names of all the planets and constellations it sees.”
The highs and lows of the group’s journey will be broadcast in a documentary to be shown in the run-up to Red Nose Day. People will also be able to follow their progress at
rednoseday.com/trek
and Scott Mills will be sending updates for Radio 1’s website, and Lorraine is also intending to tell her viewers about the experience.
“Michael Ball will be doing my show while I’m away. Technology permitting, I’m hoping to do some live broadcasts. I’ll be able to show everybody what it’s been like. And they can have a look at my feet!”To sponsor the team, go to www.rednoseday.com/trek . And for more on The Courier’s role supporting Comic Relief, click here.The trek is sponsored by long-term Comic Relief supporter BT, who will be donating money from phone calls made on ‘Chat for Change’ day on Friday, February 18. The company will donate 1p for every call made from a BT home phone or payphone, and 25p from every call to its Directory Enquiry service.
The group leaves soon and Lorraine is hoping to squeeze in a few practice walks if weather and time permit.
“It’s the heat that’s going to be difficult,” she says. “I’ve experienced that sort of heat because I’ve been to Africa before. But that’s always when I’ve been on holiday and there’s been a lovely pool to jump into and cool down.
“The walking I can just about cope with because I’ve done the MoonWalks before. Although they are only one day so I don’t know how I’ll be after five consecutive days of walking. I’m pretty sure my feet will be a mess.”
The celebrities will be raising money for people living impossibly difficult lives in the UK and Africa. In particular, they’ll be highlighting the issue of sight one of the projects benefiting from the money they raise helps prevent people from contracting agonising eye conditions such as trachoma, a particular problem in the region the trekkers will be covering.BlindAs they walk, it’s likely that they’ll meet people who need urgent eye care. Part of their role will be to spread the word about a special eye care camp they will reach on the final day of their trek, which will give treatment to the people they’ve met along the way. This will have particular resonance for one member of the group, as TV presenter and radio broadcaster Peter White has been blind since birth.
The statistics on sight loss are quite terrifying. Somewhere in the world, a child goes blind every minute. Up to half of these children go on to die within two years. What makes these figures even more of a scandal is that 80% of all blindness is preventable, and sight-saving treatment costs next to nothing.
“It’s the people we’re raising money for who will be in our thoughts,” Lorraine says. “It can cost as little as a fiver to return someone’s sight that’s the price of a fish supper to let someone see again. It’s not often you get a chance to change a person’s life like that. If we can do that by just going for a bit of a walk that’s fantastic. We’re hoping to raise as much money as we can.”
With temperatures expected to get close to 40C the walkers will each lose between 15 and 20 litres of water and burn around 8000 calories per day. They’ll camp in the desert at night and they also have to lead the convoy of temperamental camels that will carry their equipment.Heat”We’ll have to be constantly eating and drinking,” Lorraine says. “Unfortunately that’s not going to involve tucking into a big tub of ice cream, which would be yummy after all that heat. The food will be a bit more basic than that and the heat tends to rob you of your appetite.
“Still, I’m really looking forward to the camping and the camels. I love all that stuff. And it’s going to be fantastic at night. I’m quite into astronomy and where we’re going will be hundreds of miles from the nearest town so there’ll be no light pollution. I can’t wait to see the stars. I’ve got a stargazing app for my phone you just point your phone at the sky and it tells you the names of all the planets and constellations it sees.”
The highs and lows of the group’s journey will be broadcast in a documentary to be shown in the run-up to Red Nose Day. People will also be able to follow their progress at rednoseday.com/trek and Scott Mills will be sending updates for Radio 1’s website, and Lorraine is also intending to tell her viewers about the experience.
“Michael Ball will be doing my show while I’m away. Technology permitting, I’m hoping to do some live broadcasts. I’ll be able to show everybody what it’s been like. And they can have a look at my feet!”To sponsor the team, go to www.rednoseday.com/trek . And for more on The Courier’s role supporting Comic
rednoseday.com/trek
and Scott Mills will be sending updates for Radio 1’s website, and Lorraine is also intending to tell her viewers about the experience.
“Michael Ball will be doing my show while I’m away. Technology permitting, I’m hoping to do some live broadcasts. I’ll be able to show everybody what it’s been like. And they can have a look at my feet!”To sponsor the team, go to www.rednoseday.com/trek . And for more on The Courier’s role supporting Comic Relief, click here.The trek is sponsored by long-term Comic Relief supporter BT, who will be donating money from phone calls made on ‘Chat for Change’ day on Friday, February 18. The company will donate 1p for every call made from a BT home phone or payphone, and 25p from every call to its Directory Enquiry service.
The group leaves soon and Lorraine is hoping to squeeze in a few practice walks if weather and time permit.
“It’s the heat that’s going to be difficult,” she says. “I’ve experienced that sort of heat because I’ve been to Africa before. But that’s always when I’ve been on holiday and there’s been a lovely pool to jump into and cool down.
“The walking I can just about cope with because I’ve done the MoonWalks before. Although they are only one day so I don’t know how I’ll be after five consecutive days of walking. I’m pretty sure my feet will be a mess.”
The celebrities will be raising money for people living impossibly difficult lives in the UK and Africa. In particular, they’ll be highlighting the issue of sight one of the projects benefiting from the money they raise helps prevent people from contracting agonising eye conditions such as trachoma, a particular problem in the region the trekkers will be covering.BlindAs they walk, it’s likely that they’ll meet people who need urgent eye care. Part of their role will be to spread the word about a special eye care camp they will reach on the final day of their trek, which will give treatment to the people they’ve met along the way. This will have particular resonance for one member of the group, as TV presenter and radio broadcaster Peter White has been blind since birth.
The statistics on sight loss are quite terrifying. Somewhere in the world, a child goes blind every minute. Up to half of these children go on to die within two years. What makes these figures even more of a scandal is that 80% of all blindness is preventable, and sight-saving treatment costs next to nothing.
“It’s the people we’re raising money for who will be in our thoughts,” Lorraine says. “It can cost as little as a fiver to return someone’s sight that’s the price of a fish supper to let someone see again. It’s not often you get a chance to change a person’s life like that. If we can do that by just going for a bit of a walk that’s fantastic. We’re hoping to raise as much money as we can.”
With temperatures expected to get close to 40C the walkers will each lose between 15 and 20 litres of water and burn around 8000 calories per day. They’ll camp in the desert at night and they also have to lead the convoy of temperamental camels that will carry their equipment.Heat”We’ll have to be constantly eating and drinking,” Lorraine says. “Unfortunately that’s not going to involve tucking into a big tub of ice cream, which would be yummy after all that heat. The food will be a bit more basic than that and the heat tends to rob you of your appetite.
“Still, I’m really looking forward to the camping and the camels. I love all that stuff. And it’s going to be fantastic at night. I’m quite into astronomy and where we’re going will be hundreds of miles from the nearest town so there’ll be no light pollution. I can’t wait to see the stars. I’ve got a stargazing app for my phone you just point your phone at the sky and it tells you the names of all the planets and constellations it sees.”
The highs and lows of the group’s journey will be broadcast in a documentary to be shown in the run-up to Red Nose Day. People will also be able to follow their progress at rednoseday.com/trek and Scott Mills will be sending updates for Radio 1’s website, and Lorraine is also intending to tell her viewers about the experience.
“Michael Ball will be doing my show while I’m away. Technology permitting, I’m hoping to do some live broadcasts. I’ll be able to show everybody what it’s been like. And they can have a look at my feet!”To sponsor the team, go to www.rednoseday.com/trek . And for more on The Courier’s role supporting Comic Relief, click here.