Fundraiser Phil is a man of Steele

intu Eldon Square’s General Manager is undertaking the challenge of a lifetime – all in aid of a charity raising funds to improve the lives of children with disabilities in the North East. Phil Steele, 52, who has been at the helm of intu Eldon Square for the last five years, is looking forward to releasing his inner spirit of adventure later this year when he flies to Jordan to take part in a trekking challenge in order to fund raise for The Sunshine Fund charity. The five day trip begins at the magical and fascinating Unesco World Heritage Site of Petra, a city carved into the mountains and subsequently lost for hundreds of years. From there, the trekking party will tackle three days of walking for up to eight hours in temperatures of up to 30 degrees, through mountainous and desert terrain. At the end of each day, participants won’t be staying in the lap of luxury, but bedding down in tents or sleeping under the stars. Phil said: “intu Eldon Square has supported The Sunshine Fund for many years. When I heard about Trek Petra I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity for me personally to raise money, combined with the chance to visit a part of the world I had never previously encountered. The challenge is certainly quite daunting, but I’ve a few months to get myself into better physical shape, especially following the excesses of the festive period! Until now my level of fitness has been dictated by a couple of games a month on the golf course – so I’ve signed up to Eldon Leisure and they’ve sorted me out with a fitness training regime so I don’t show myself up or let anyone down when I get there.  At the end of three day’s of hiking, we do get the opportunity to relax in the Dead Sea – I will probably appreciate that as I’ll be dead beat! The company that I work for, intu, has very kindly paid all of the costs associated with the trip, so every penny I raise will go directly to The Sunshine Fund. Many of our suppliers and retailers have promised to help with the fundraising effort, and I’ve set up a JustGiving page at www.justgiving.com/Phil-Steele - so fingers crossed I’ll burst through my target and raise a lot of money for this deserving charity.” Clare Savory, Sunshine Fund Events Manager added: "We are delighted to have Phil on board for our Trek Petra challenge. All the money raised from the trekkers will be supporting children with disabilities here in the North East with specialised equipment. We still have a limited number of places still available for this fantastic adventure. To register, email [email protected] or call 0191 201 6068.”