Thank you all for sponsoring me, your generosity has been overwheling.

On 9th February at about 8:30am myself, Elaine and Paul made it to Uhuru Peak, the summit of Mount Kilimanajaro - Africa's highest point at 5895 metres. It was a tough but amazing experience and one that I shall never forget. I have added some photos. Thank you again.

Please sponsor me! - I have a rather large target to reach and really need your help!

On February 5^th – 11^th I will attempt to reach the top of Mount Kilimanjaro in aid of St Dunstan’s, the Charity I work for, which for almost a century has been giving invaluable physical and emotional support to blind and visually impaired ex-Service men and women.

Along with me on the trek is my friend Elaine as well as Paul Jacobs, a 21 year rifleman, totally blinded by an IED in Afghanistan and later awarded the George Medal for his bravery in dragging himself into an area where he knew his rescue would be safer for medics.

More About St Dunstan’s -  St Dunstan’s was founded in 1915 to help the young soldiers returning to the UK who had been blinded on the bloody battlefields of the Somme. They were given back their independence, and their future, through rehab and training, something that is still at the heart of St Dunstan’s work today as we remain the only charity in the UK to provide direct support through rehab and training to Service Personnel and veterans who have been blinded in conflict. We work with soldiers from the Second World War who were blinded as a result of malnutrition as they were forced to work as slave labour on the notorious Burma to Siam railway, also called the railway of death. While others who were still teenagers were blinded during the D Day Landings and women workings in the munitions factories who were caught in explosions.

St Dunstan’s has been there for people who were blinded in Korea, the Falklands, Northern Ireland, Iraq and it is there for soldiers who are blinded in the present day conflict Afghanistan.

Today the charity is not just for people who were blinded in action, we also support the ex-Service men and women who have lost their eyesight as a result of age, accident, illness or injury.

 www.youtube.com/stdunstansnews

 

About Mt Kilimanjaro - Mt Kilimanjaro is Africa’s highest peak and the highest free standing mountain in the world at 5,895 metres. I will be trekking through virtually every ecosystem on earth – glacier, snowfields, deserts, alpine moorland, savannah, and tropical jungle, all of which found on the mountain. Temperatures will range from 30 degrees Celsius to lows of -25 degrees Celsius as I approach the summit.

 

How Do I Donate? - 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. Even a little will help. Thank you. Nicki