A woman who spends her working life making props for use on film sets will be facing up to her own personal action-filled challenge on a trek through the Sahara Desert next year.
Zoe Wilkes will be taking on the Discover Adventure Sahara Trek in October 2026 – five days walking through the sizzling Moroccan desert, while raising money for the ME Association.
“I’ll be doing it for Emily, my older sister, who was diagnosed with this horrible illness about 10 years ago,” 29-year-old Zoe said today.
“At one stage she was so ill that she had to go home to live with our mum.”
Zoe lives in Southend-on-Sea with her fiancé Sam and together they run a film prop studio in Shoeburyness which has been creating weapons, props and costumes for film and TV sets since 2016.
“We’ve done X-Men, Gangs of London, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, lots of projects for Apple, Netflix and Disney. There are some very exciting projects in the works but I unfortunately can’t speak about them until they’re released!”, said Zoe.
And, although she will be part of a crowd camping out at night in the desert and followed by Berber porters and a caravan of camels carrying the supplies, Zoe will be testing her fitness and endurance on her own.
Photos show Zoe with her friend Laura, Zoe climbing in the slate quarry with fiancé Sam and their dog Bandit and taking part in a Christmas work-out in the gym.
“I’m going solo, though Sam has joked that he will stay in a luxury hotel in Marrakesh and think of me in the desert”, she added.
The couple, whose business is called Woodsted Studios, have been busy this spring making sure Zoe keeps trim for her African adventure.
They went climbing in the huge Dinorwic slate quarry in Snowdonia a couple of weeks ago – recording something like 20,000 steps in a single day, getting ever higher over rough scree and hairy, sheer drops. The place is a favourite with them. This was their fourth visit.
And Zoe regularly hits the gym in Southend, enjoying HIIT training, boxing and pole-dancing.
Between now and the Sarah Trek, Zoe will be organising other fundraisers for the ME Association – including a cake sale in a couple of weeks and a big social event next year which will be run round a raffle.
Keep up with her on Instagram @Zoes_fitness journey
Thank you for taking on this real challenge for us, Zoe. We all wish you the very best with it and better health for Emily.
If you would like to donate to Zoe’s challenge, please visit:
Zoë Amber Wilkes
– Sahara Desert Trek
Fundraising for ME Association
Tony Britton
Senior Fundraising Volunteer, The ME Association
tony.britton@meassociation.org.uk Mob: 07393 805566
