Update:

 

Just a quick note to confirm that we successfully reached the summit in December! It was an experience I'll never forget and I would highly recommend it to anyone.

I am in the process of collating all of the photos, but here is one of the 8 Goodman Masson staff at Gilman's Point, around 1 1/2 hours before we reached the summit.

We have raised well over £35,000 for Help for Heroes but further donations are of course greatfully received.

 

 

My challenge is to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in December in a bid to raise lots of money for Help for Heroes. I will complete the challenge with a team of 8 colleagues from Goodman Masson and between us we aim to raise over £34,000 for charity.

 

Our chosen charity is Help for Heroes. What are they all about? I think this quote from the website says it all. 

 

"It’s about the blokes, our men and women of the Armed Forces. It’s about Derek, a rugby player who has lost both his legs, it’s about Carl whose jaw is wired up so he has been drinking through a straw. It’s about Richard who was handed a mobile phone as he lay on the stretcher so he could say goodbye to his wife. It’s about Ben, it’s about Steven and Andy and Mark, it’s about them all. They are just blokes but they are our blokes; they are our heroes. We want to help our heroes."

  

I will be donating just under £2,000 myself on this page (the donations from John Lawson) to cover the costs of the trip, so I am aiming to raise an extra £2,500 - every penny of which will go directly to charity. All donations you make will go directly to Help for Heroes and not towards the cost of the trip.

 

 

Mount Kilimanjaro stands at 5,895m (19,340ft) and is one of the largest volcanoes ever to break through the Earth's crust. It sits on the northern border of Tanzania, overlooking Kenya, and just over 200 miles south of the Equator. Our climb takes place over 7 days on the 'Rongai Route', with the longest day involving 12-15 hours of serious hiking in subzero temperatures. For a full breakdown of our route, please click here. My training has begun.

 

I know December is a long way off but we need to hit our target by September when the trip is booked. If you are thinking of making a donation, please act now. If you are like me and have not done much for charity in the past, this is a great time to see how it feels. Thank you for taking the time to read this and for supporting Help for Heroes.

 

James

 

(Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. 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.)