Final update.

This is to thank all of you for your donations and support. When the final monies come in I will have reached my target of £5,895.00. In total, between us, we raised over £22,000 from the Kili climb and I believe the total Benny fund now exceeds £100,000.00. This was definitely a "bucket list" experience. I will always remember the people we met, the support and generousity we received and the smiles and chatter of the Tanzanian porters along the way. To those who have been there before me, you now have my respect. To those who are still considering, what doesn't break you makes you stronger. Its as much a mental endurance as it is a physical endurance. I am grateful to all involved. Thank you.

Extract from the final blog

I woke at 10:30 pm after a restless sleep. We had experienced hail stones all afternoon and the inside of my tent was now covered in ice. I stepped out fearful of what the weather would be for the climb. It was a cold and clear starry starry night. I looked down on the lights of Moshi town and Arusha far beyond. In the distance beyond, on the Serengeti, I saw menacing storm clouds and the frequent orange flashes of lightening that was to continue all night. My thoughts....we will make it but at what effort and cost.

I had dressed in everything, tight track suit bottoms, two pairs of thermal underwear and thick sailing trousers, a sweat top, two thermal tops, a thin fleece, a quilted jacket and a wind stop jacket, two pairs of socks, a balaclava and a hat........ I felt overdressed for the occasion!! Turned out I wasn't, it was  a bitterly cold -25 degrees plus wind chill near the top. Checked my kit yet again. This is it... time to climb Mount Doom. We all met up in the mess tent. Tensions were high, Duncan and I were itching and ready to go by the time Nige came in for some food. I could feel the apprehension in the air. Within minutes Simon our chief guide appeared in the tent, kit on. " Superteam lets go f@#k this mountain",  then in less than a minute and a final check of our kit and we were off.

We set off  through Barafu camp and onto the path to the top lit only by our head torches, the stars and the Milky Way beyond. It was tough. No it was very very.... very tough. We followed the line of other climbers all wearing head torches like a string of fairy lights. I was concerned we were leaving late, the top would be full and we would miss the dawn. Simon set a fast pace.... fast for climbing Kili that is! The air was full of whoops and hollers from the Americans. Within a couple of hours they all went very quiet as the difficulty of the task became more apparent. We all became zombies of the night. It seemed like every nationality was represented. Not a sound was heard except sighs, gasps and heavy breathing. Some were stopping in pain and some, experiencing severe difficulty with altitude sickness, gave up and turned back unable to endure any more.

We all struggled at different times on route, first dropping back from the relentless pace, then catching up when Simon stopped for an every so brief rest stop. We followed the trail to the top, quietly overtaking preceding groups to after what seemed an age finally, and I mean, finally arrive at Stella Point at the crater rim. I felt great relief rather than the exhilaration I was expecting. Laurence followed shortly after followed by Paul, Duncan and Nige. We had our  moment and hugged with relief and sense of our achievement. Dawn rose over Africa and it was as beautiful as the books say.

Simon next pointed across the volcano to our final destination, Uhuru peak. With very few words Laurence and I set off first maintaining our zombie pace. Half way there we stopped at what turned out to be the false peak. This mountain was now teasing us. Our porter, who had become our guardian angel, came over and switched off our head torches. We exchanged glances and picked ourselves up and summoned the strength to reach the peak. Eventually we both arrived. We said nothing but touched the sign like we were trying to cross an imaginary finish line. Then time seemed to stutter. The others appeared and we re-focused on our mission. We staggered up and each took a hold of the banner for Benny boy. That was it, the photo was taken. We had done it.... All of us had done it.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I have no doubt that, like me, you regularly receive one of these requests but please let me have a few moments of your time.

In February 2013, I am planning to trek with four other friends to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest Mountain standing at 5895 metres in support of CLIC Sargent, one of the UK’s leading cancer charities for children.

Earlier this year I attended fund raising function for this charity albeit I had not heard of them before. Throughout the course of the day and into the evening I sat and listened to stories of their selflessness, dedication and support they give to families in their time of need. When I later met and listened to two of the helpers I felt humbled by their acts of kindness and devotion to help others. I now want to give something back in acknowledgement for the support and generosity they give to others.

The reason why I attended the function was extremely personal, as last year we sadly discovered that my friend's son Ben Crutchley, a fantastic, lively 9 year old boy had developed multiple brain tumours and was given a very short time to live. Ben's family and everyone who knew him were completely devastated and they all set about making the following months the happiest they could be for Ben as you can see from some of the photos. I would meet Ben from time to time and he would on each occasion want to tell me his latest joke or show me his latest magic trick. Throughout his ordeal he always had a smile to give and a story to tell.

During this time CLIC Sargent not only provided clinical support to Ben but practical and emotional support to his family (& friends) to help them cope with the cancer and get the most out of their remaining time with Ben.

Sadly we lost little Ben on the 23rd February this year, just 2 weeks before his 10th birthday. It was at this point that CLIC Sargent proved invaluable in supporting the family and as such I wanted to find a way of giving something back for the support and assistance they provided then, and are still providing today.

The trek is my way of doing this. I am funding ALL my costs in relation to this trek, in order that every possible penny you can donate goes to the charity.

Ben's father, Nige Crutchley will be one of the team who is joining me on the ascent and it is poignant that we will be completing the trek just prior to the first anniversary of Ben's death.

I appreciate its coming up to Xmas and money can be tight for families at this time of year but my target is to work on a rate per metre and so I am hoping to raise the £5,895.00 before I go so please dig deep and show support for this great charity.

Thank you for your time and your support.

Brendan