Hi all, 

As I am now coming into my 40th year, I thought it’s about time I gave something back and do something big for charity. I have been involved in charity bike rides at work for some really great causes; Headway Essex, Headway Suffolk and Fresh Start New Beginnings to name a few, but I feel I need to do something on my own.

I thought long and hard about what charity to support but kept coming back to Cancer, as so many people I know have been affected by it, I don’t think I know anyone who hasn’t been, my family, my friends and my work colleagues have all had horrible experiences with it, so therefore I decided to choose Cancer Research as my charity.

My next step was to choose my challenge, I know I needed to push myself outside of my comfort zone so I can raise as much as possible and I started to look at what I could do. My Dad has just completed the “The Long Walk” a 100k walk, across the WW1 front line for the Army Benevolent Fund and smashed his target raising over £2700 which is fantastic. So, I started my search; bike ride, run, parachute jump.. I just couldn’t decide, then I spotted the Kilimanjaro Summit Climb and thought that’s maybe a bridge to far -  I then realised that’s the one then. I spoke to Sharon and she was really supportive of me doing it (or because I will be out of her hair for 12 days) so I booked it and paid the fee…..

Now reality starts to kick in, trekking through rain forests, climbing up caves, acclimatising whilst camping in the clouds, then the hiking across the lunar desert, all this before the 11-16 hours Summit climb to “Uhuru Point” 5,895 metres. As some of you know I am accustomed to some of the finer things these days, so 7 days camping on the side of a mountain sharing a tent with someone I don’t know, whilst going to the toilet over a long drop and walking for days on ration meals, I think is taking me out of my comfort zone…..and I haven’t even mentioned no red wine within a 20 miles radius of me!

So, to sum it up if you can please sponsor me I would really really appreciate it, even if you have to go without an extra beer or a bottle of wine or even a chocolate bar one night to sponsor me please do as it may help beat this awful disease.

All the best & Thank You.

Paul