Brighton couple plan hike through wild forest to raise money for Whitehawk employment project

A senior manager from Brighton Housing Trust is braving a 160 mile hike through a bear and wolf infested forest to raise funds for BHT’s Whitehawk Inn Project.

Rob Robinson and his fiancé, Nat Mihalikova, have undertaken epic walks before, but this one is different, as Rob explains:

“Nat and I are no strangers to long walks so the distance shouldn’t be a problem but this is the first time we will be off the grid in a large national park. It’s pretty remote with loads of opportunities to get lost in the woods and of course there are the large animals to tend with….

“But with Nat’s impeccable planning and my Irish luck I think we’ll make it. It would be fantastic if we get a chance to get up close to the wolves but we can do without the bears and boars.

“I’m really hoping the bear repellent I bought on eBay actually works!”

They plan to walk from Budapest in Hungary to Kosice in Slovakia, some 160 miles. Much of the journey will be through the Bukk National Forest in Northern Hungary, home to some of Europe’s most established Eurasian wolf packs, brown bears and wild boar. Walking 20 miles a day they plan to complete the journey in 8 days.

They will be raising funds for BHT’s Whitehawk Inn, a service providing training courses, careers advice, information and advice on work and learning, job searching sessions and money advice to people living in Brighton.

Any money raised will go towards the cost of providing weekly drop-in sessions where local people can receive help and support to get back into training and employment.

Rob explained why he chose the Whitehawk Inn: “I think the Whitehawk Inn is a great local cause to support as it is a small service making a big difference in one of the most disadvantaged areas in the city. The work they do makes a real difference in helping people to improve their life chances. It would be fantastic if people can give whatever they can afford to help this great service”.

Rob and Nat can be sponsored on their JustGiving page: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Brighton-Housing-Trust4