Since mid-June, Alaska has been plagued by devastating wildfires throughout these dry summer months. So damaging have these fires been, that many mushers have been forced to perform emergency evacuations of their dogs, and abandon their homes.
In a heart-felt response to their trauma, a group of UK mushers and sled-dog enthusiast pitched together to try and raise a few hundred pounds through charity auctions and raffles on Facebook. Included in their admin team was British ex-pat Iditarod & Yukon Quest veteran Rob Cooke, which no-doubt greatly helped raise both the profile and funding of the effort.
So generous were both the items being auctioned, and the bids they gained that this week it has been confirmed that a massive $65,000 (approx. £41,000) has been raised to help our fellow mushers across the pond.
We’d like to give great congratulations to every individual in that group, regardless of their efforts, but in particular a huge THANK YOU to the admin team and organisers who helped put this together, for otherwise it simply would never have been so successful.
Fantastic work UK, keep it up.
Visit the Willow Fire Support Group UK on Facebook.
UPDATE: Thanks to the great responsive we’ve had online to this story, we are donating our July proceeds to this fantastic cause. Click here to find out what we’re doing and how you can help.