On Monday 16 September 2024 I will begin my eight day climb of the tallest mountain on the African continent and the highest free standing mountain in the world, Mount Kilimanjaro, standing at 5895 metres.

I am doing this for two reasons. The first is that I feel like a menopausal woman who has lost her sense of adventure and confidence. The other, and more importantly, is because whilst I can do nothing to change the situation for my great niece, Lyla, I can show my support by raising money for the charity Stargardt’s Connected.

Lyla was recently diagnosed with a rare degenerative retinal eye condition called Stargardt’s disease. Stargardt’s causes central and sometimes, peripheral vision loss. There is no current treatment or cure.

The charity Stargardt’s Connected raises awareness, gives support and raises funds for research.

If you are interested, you can read more here:

https://stargardtsconnected.org.uk

Please donate to this worthwhile cause. Your donation will help Stargardt’s Connected to continue to fund vital research and provide much needed support to the community of those affected and will ensure that in the moments when I question why I have taken on this challenge, I will know I am doing it for Lyla and because of your generosity.

If I achieve what I set out to, who knows, maybe Lyla and I will summit Kilimanjaro together in the future.

You will see the photo above of Lyla and me at her Aunt Kitty and Adam’s wedding, where we had a really good dance together (and hopefully there will be many more in future!)

If you are interested in getting a flavour of what I’ll be doing, this is the route and company I am trekking with:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UykJEY1W13U&t=2s

Thank you for your support and for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

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. So, it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.