Well, I have an update on my trip... the original event for the 17th March was cancelled, so now I'm going on the 17th of FEBRUARY... a whole month earlier. 

This is Sam (Photos)  Sam is 8 years old, and like most boys his age Sam loves trains, he loves Fireman Sam, and he loves getting into mischief.

Sam loves to ride his bike,  he loves animals, and he loves to scare the living daylights out of his Mum, climbing trees,  fences,  walls....in fact Sam climbs just about anything put in front of him. 

Sam would think nothing of climbing Kilimanjaro.  Danger is not a word Sam easily understands.   Sam has autism, and he is my Stepson.  

Like hundreds of children, and families in Northamptonshire, Sam benefits from the help and support provided by Autism Concern.  It is for this reason that I have chosen them to be my charity beneficiary.

Autism Concern (formerly known as Northamptonshire Society for Autism) was formed in 1991 and registered as a charity in 1997 (charity number 1062611)

The charity is a ‘parent led’ organisation whose mission is to provide high quality services to people across the autistic spectrum throughout their lives

Autism Concern provide a huge number of services to support families, children, schools and other organisations around the county. 

This ranges from simply providing support and advice, to organising activity days, training, special educational support, resources for schools, and much much more.

Autism Concern provides the only Autism Specific youth service in the county.

For all these reasons I have decided to make Autism Concern my charity beneficiary.   In March 2011 I will be climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania.

At 5895 meters high, Kilimanjaro is the tallest free standing mountain in the world.  Its also one of the highest items on my life "to do list".

Of course, I recognise that this trip is more than just a fund raising adventure.  This is the personal challenge of a lifetime.  For this reason, I have covered over 85% of the organisational costs myself.  

This way almost all of the money you donate will go directly to Autism Concern.  I hope that you will support me in reaching my goal, and support this wonderful, local charity.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.

Thank you for your support. 

Graham & Liz Kennedy