Royal Artillery major Jen Price taking on 12 challenges for charity

Major Jen Price, who serves with the Larkhill-based Royal Artillery, is raising money for the Veterans’ Foundation.

She says she is "super excited" to be taking on the challenges which are staggered over the year but admits it is also "really overwhelming".

The 31-year-old’s other activities will include a 125-mile canoe race from Devizes to Westminster, a self-supported cycle from John O’Groats to Land’s End and an ultra-marathon in Jordan.

After climbing Kilmanjaro and the Matterhorn during the year, the ‘Jennevolve’ quest ends with another climb in December, when she will summit Cierro Aconcagua – South America’s highest peak.

The first challenge will be a 15km ski marathon in Germany on February 5. The first ski race she Jen had planned was cancelled due to Covid but luckily she found another one.

Jen's decision to take on these challenges was spurred on after deciding to leave the army and she was keen to do something to raise money for a military charity.

She will leave in August but explains: "With the army they give you time at the end to figure out what to do with your life. Most people go and get a job, I decided that I was going to do something as I do like going on adventures and thought actually why don't I make this a bigger thing and try and do something for charity. Just go big or go home basically."

After seeing colleagues and friends struggle with their mental health, especially after leaving the Armed Forces, Jen is passionate about helping those who fight an invisible war.

"It is rare to go through life without experiencing personal trauma of some sort, whether that has been on the battlefield or in your personal life,” she added.

"I am a firm believer that trauma should not define you but can be harnessed to motivate you in endlessly positive ways, and it is never too late to get back on track."

Speaking about how she chose the challenges she would take on Jen said: "I just wanted to pick things I've never done before which would probably take me a lifetime to do if I wasn't doing it a bit at a time whereas I thought I'd just try and get it all in one year."

To prepare for the challenges ahead Jen has been doing lots of training and will have a team of supporters to help her on this journey.

However, the challenge she is most nervous about is actually the canoe race from Devizes to Westminster.

"The one I'm looking forward to is the last one, which is Cierro Aconcagua, which will be awesome but I'm slightly worried about the altitude because I've reacted badly to altitude before but we'll see how that goes," said Jennifer, who has served in the army for 10 years after joining in 2012. "Then the one I'm most dreading is the canoe race because I'm not really a canoeist."

She hopes to raise to raise £100,000 for the charity but adds: "It seems so unattainable right now but I'm going to have to think we'll get there. I'd be happy even if we raise £10,000 or £20,000."

“I’m terrified and excited about taking on this challenge,” she said. “But I’m determined to see it through in order to support the Veterans’ Foundation and fund projects for veterans facing mental health challenges.”

For more information visit: jennevolve.co.uk and to make a donation go to justgiving.com/fundraising/jennevolve1212

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