It’s finally happening!  Firstly, thanks for listening to us both bang on about our trek up Kili since 2019, we very much appreciate your patience and support!

Why are we doing this?

We are raising much-needed funds for the two UK tax charities, TaxAid and Tax Help for Older People. The sponsorship money will go to the charities' Bridge the Gap campaign, which is split equally between the two tax charities. The two tax charities help vulnerable people on low incomes with their tax issues. The people the tax charities help cannot afford to pay for professional advice See some examples here.

The tax charities are the only UK charities dedicated to providing free tax advice to vulnerable people on low incomes who need help to cope with the UK tax system and yet cannot afford to pay for the help they need and have nowhere else to turn.

Those taxpayers seeking help tend to be at the most disadvantaged end of unrepresented taxpayers on low incomes. The need for such pro bono help has grown significantly since the charities' formation, due to changes in how people earn income and its tax treatment and due to the impact of Covid and the current cost of living crisis. 

Eleanor’s thoughts:

I think it’s safe to say that I’m more anxious about greasy hair and lack of toilet facilities than I am about the actual trek, although that might just be my lack of mountain experience doing the talking.  My preparation has been in the form of sled pulls and tire flips - not sure how much they’ll help me through altitude sickness but they sure were fun to do.

You might be wondering what inspired me to take on this challenge and also why I’d do it for tax charities, as on the face of it that doesn’t necessarily sound like a cause close to my heart.  In truth, I probably wouldn’t be doing this if my Dad hadn’t suggested it, but I'm really glad he did.  Firstly because I love a challenge and also because I’ve come to learn that although these charities might not be in your typical fundraising basket, the work they do is extremely impactful to people who have nowhere to turn for advice on financial issues. 

I and many others of you reading this are lucky that we have someone in our network who can help us make sense of HMRC comms, so that we aren’t overcharged or inadvertently taken advantage of.  Others aren’t so lucky and in extreme cases can end up homeless as a result. TaxAid and Tax Help provide the advice needed for their clients to look after themselves and their families.

Brian’s thoughts:

I’m not as worried about my hair as Eleanor but the final ascent day which involves 8 hours of climbing in the dark with just head torches for light is quite daunting.

But if there wasn’t some challenge involved it would be hard to persuade you to be generous in your donations.

And these charities do need our help and, I believe, deserve it.  Having worked in tax for most of my career I know how complex, confusing and stressful it can be.  And this is compounded for people who are homeless or who have recently experienced bereavement, family breakdown, serious illness, mental breakdown, or loss of business; likewise for victims of abusive employers or contractors. They don’t understand HMRC language and correspondence and don’t know how to respond, or whom to contact.

I am a trustee of Tax Help and so have seen first hand the great work it and TaxAid does.

Finally, we want to assure you that this page has been created purely to raise money for the Bridge the Gap appeal and so none of the money you donate will go towards the cost of the trip for either of us. We also appreciate that we’re going through challenging times right now with the cost of living crisis and so are grateful for any amount you can afford. 

As a thank you we'll share many a sweaty or shivering selfie with you afterwards - don't say we don't treat you! 

Much love,

Eleanor & Brian

PS here is a link to a press release about the trek issued by the Chartered Institute of Taxation