Hi Friends, Family and Colleagues, thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

When an opportunity arose to climb Island Peak (Imja Tse) in the Himalayas I jumped at the chance to roll-back the years and relive my youth. The mountain is 6,189m (20,210 feet) high and located in the shadow of Mount Everest. The expedition commences on 26 April with a 16-day trek to Base Camp before summiting on or around 13 May. This is far in excess of anything I have ever attempted, and, in preparation, I have now completed a 16-week intense training programme which resembles self-inflicted torture, although has helped me loose 2 stone in weight 😁.  Whilst a significant challenge for me, I also saw it as an ideal opportunity to raise money for The Railway Children, a charity who aim to change the situation for street children in the UK and around the world by working with local organisations and advocating for change in government policies.

The Railway Children is an obvious charity for me to support. This is my 30th year working in the railway industry having started for British Rail in 1993. In parallel with work, I have been involved in voluntary work, raising money for local projects and also through youth organisations over the last ten years as an Explorer Scout Leader and Duke of Edinburgh Assessor. It has been hugely rewarding to work with youngsters and help their development as well as share my passion for outdoor adventure.

• For those interested in my career, I joined Intercity Fleet Engineering in Derby, before moving into Interfleet Technology then SNC Lavalin and now Atkins. I spent 4 years in Australia and then some 15+ years working within Transport for London's major programmes, including the Victoria Line Upgrade, 4 Line Modernisation and Crossrail. Through my career, I have been lucky to have worked with numerous inspirational people, in multi-talented teams which have delivered amazing projects into passenger service.

• For those interested in my passion for outdoor adventure, I occupied much of my youth in the wilds of Dartmoor, Devon close to where I grew up and completed the Ten Tors endurance challenge twice before training teams for the event. I won a bursary to the awesome Outward Bounds centre at Ullswater in the Lake District, which is an area I still visit as often as I can. The Mountaineering club at Loughborough University fuelled my desire to climb in all parts of the UK and further afield. In 2005, I was lucky enough to join a team in the second ever Three Peaks challenge by Rail (now in its 20th year) which was an amazing experience and was when I first raised money for The Railway Children.
  

The challenge of Island Peak is personally immense, both physically and mentally, but I hope you will agree that it is perfect for me.  So please, if you can, help me raise vital money for The Railway Children.

Thank you again for your time and any donation you can make through my JustGiving page.

Onwards and upwards!

Hugh


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All photographs of previous ascents kindly acknowledged.