The last time I took part in a sponsored walk was about 15 years ago when the then current dog and I attempted to see how many churches we could visit in 1 day for the Ride & Stride church fund raising day. We managed 10 churches that day in 12 miles, found some new local footpaths and got rather hot and thirsty. The dog enjoyed every minute, especially the swim in Claydon Brook. I can’t remember how much I raised but it was around £100.

 

Kilimanjaro will present rather different challenges, the walk takes 6 days, and we will climb 19,980 feet and will climb from the heat of the African plain to the windy freezing snow field. Hopefully we will see the sunrise on 21 September at 6.00am on the summit.

 

This commitment is all down to me becoming a ‘Rotary Wife’ when my husband Nigel joined Winslow Rotary and we discovered the Rotary walking group. Training is under way; my 2 fitness advisors are our daughters, Felicity and Tor who have both run ½ marathons and other even more ridiculous events. We have just returned from Devon where we managed 12 miles of the South Devon Coastal path.

 

The charities that we are supporting are all dear to my heart. I have been a supporter of the Puzzle Pre-School for some time. The school is local to us in Middle Claydon and provides early intervention for children with autism. The principle, Alex Stanier is a dedicated and inspirational lady who provides a wonderful start for autistic children. This does not come cheap as the children need a 1 to 1 ratio of teaching.

 

Florence Nightingale Hospice is based in Aylesbury and provides Hospice care for our area. This vital care again does not come cheaply.

 

Walking with the Wounded is an inspirational charity that helpsour young service personnel literally ‘get back on their feet’ after devastating injury. This seems a very apt charity for me to support with a sponsored walk.

 

My fellow walkers are my husband Nigel, Peter Gellatley, the inspiration for this trip, Gary Eastman and Denise Myers.

 

I have never attempted anything like this before, as a friend said ‘you must be mad’, but I think we all, at whatever age, need challenges in life, and this is my next one.