A north-east Hampshire group is aiming to conquer Africa's highest mountain to raise vital funds for national charity, Epilepsy Action.
The seven-strong team is made of up of Laura McCafferty (25, from Basingstoke), Charlie Saunders (25, from North Warnborough), Sarah Cluett (24, from Hook), Emily Stead (25, from Odiham), Amy Carter (28, from Basingstoke), Kristy Steggall (23, from Tadley) and Geoff Skipper (25, from Hook). The group will attempt to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania over seven days in August. Setting off on 19 August, the group will follow in the footsteps of celebrities Cheryl Cole, Gary Barlow and Radio One DJ, Chris Moyles. They will climb almost 20,000 ft (6,000 metres) by the Rongai route.
Laura McCafferty, a project manager at Courts Design, said: “The whole idea for the trip came after one evening in the pub, when I decided I wanted to do something big! It took just one text message to convince Charlie of the idea. Once there were two of us on board the momentum took over and it wasn’t long before there were seven of us.
“We were initially inspired to take on this challenge after seeing the celebrity climb for Red Nose Day. Over time our reasons for doing this have extended way beyond this. It’s now a personal challenge for all of us and we want to see if we are strong enough to push ourselves to the limit to reach the summit. We also want to see if we are able to live for a week without our home comforts and to see if the training and perseverance over the past year will pay off.
“We chose to support Epilepsy Action as both Charlie and I have family members with epilepsy. We have seen the ways in which the condition affects family and friends on a daily basis. Even though I’ve had first hand experience with seizures, it is not something that a lot of people have seen. That’s one of the main reasons for choosing this charity, to help raise awareness.”
“We are so excited at the thought of reaching the summit. We are all extremely determined to get to the top and get the famous photo of us all next to the sign at the top of the mountain. I’ve read about others who have taken on the challenge and they’ve all said it was one of the best things they’ve ever done. With that in mind, and knowing that we are raising awareness for a charity close to my heart, I can’t wait to get on the mountain.”
The group hope to raise £7,000 to help support the work of Epilepsy Action. They have already done several fundraising events to help them reach their target. These include the Reading Half Marathon (Laura and Charlie), dress-down days at work and a quiz night for family and friends. To show your support for the team and Epilepsy Action, sponsor them at www.justgiving.com/kilimanjaro19august2010
Epilepsy Action offers a range of overseas challenges, including Mount Kilimanjaro, the Peruvian Inca Trail, the Great Wall of China Challenge and the London to Paris Bike Ride. To find out more about these, and other events, visit www.epilepsy.org.uk/involved
The money raised by the team will help fund the vital advice and information services provided by Epilepsy Action. Last year, the charity directly helped more than 688,000 people through a range of services. These include its advice and information service, branch network, specialist nurse scheme and Epilepsy Helpline freephone 0808 800 5050.