Thanks for visiting my Just Giving page.  I decided a long time ago that I wanted to complete the hike up Mount Kilimanjaro and reach the roof of Africa.

 

It hadn’t crossed my mind to do this for charity and has been completely funded by myself until the tragic events that took place on 18th September 2012.

 

I have served as a Greater Manchester Police officer for 18 years and although, as we all know “bad things happen”, I still find it hard to come to terms with the events that took place on the 18 September.

 

I did not personally know Nicola Hughes or Fiona Bone but still felt I had lost two colleagues that day.

 

I thought it may be a nice gesture and memorial to the brave officers whose lives were unfairly taken from them to leave a fallen hero’s memorial to them at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.  I have been in contact with the appropriate people at GMP who have in turn been in contact with the families of Nicola and Fiona to discuss appropriate charities which the girls would have appreciated funds being raised for.

 

Donations given will be for the  Care of Police Survivors fund (COPS) (http://www.ukcops.org/).

 

Care of Police Survivors (otherwise known as COPS) is – 

 

A UK registered charity dedicated to helping the families of police officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty, rebuild their lives. It aims to ensure that survivors have all the help they need to cope with such a tragedy, and that they remain part of the police family.

 

Now a little about the challenge itself:-

 

Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest “walkable” mountain in the world. 

 

Kilimanjaro, with its three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira, is a dormant volcano in Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania and the highest mountain in Africa at 5,895 metres or 19,341 feet above sea level. 

 

 

I fly to Kilimanjaro on the Friday 16 November 2012 and the hike starts on the morning of the following day.  

 

I will be taking the Lemosho Route which is an unspoilt, remote, little-used way up to the Shira Plateau.  The nights are spent camping and days will be full days of hiking.

 

The climb itself starts as bushland turning into Rain Forest, Heath Land, Alpine Desert before eventually reaching Arctic conditions.

 

On Friday 23 November after 6 days of hiking I will be heading for the summit, highest point in Africa - Uhuru Peak (5,895m)

 

I then return to the UK on Monday 26 November 2012 upon this I will of course update this page.

 

Anything you could give would be amazing for these hard working causes.  I have sent this to as many people as I can think of but would ask that you support this cause by doing the same.

 

Please pass to anybody who you may feel like to give in memory of PC Fiona Bone and PC Nicola Hughes.

 

Again Many Thanks

 

Paul

DS 8666 - GMP

 

So please dig deep and donate now.