Yahoo! I made it. On Wednesday 22nd at 9.15am I reached the top of Africa, the peak of Kilimanjaro.
I could not have done it without my new friends and fellow climbers who are just the greatest team I have ever met.
You can follow my progress up the mountain at
Can I make it to £4000? please help me make this new target. Thanks everyone you are very kind.
I am joining ‘Children Today’ in Africa from 17 - 24 September 2010 for what promises to be a trek filled with challenging hikes to what will ultimately lead to the Uhuru Peak, the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. At 5,895 metres (19,341 ft) it is the world’s largest free standing mountain.
Why me?
Many of you will have seen the Red-Nose team reach the summit last year, and I can’t deny this has encouraged me to go for such a demanding goal. Gone are the days of adventure training on Dartmoor for my Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, I loved climbing the mountains of South Wales with Burgate School, along with the South West Coast Path and orienteering in the Lake District with the Air Training Corps. I want an adventure and this seems to be just what I am looking for.
We are lucky.
Many of you will know of my two lovely (and healthy) young daughters, I am always proud of them when they email their friends, or ‘Google’ something to find an answer, just as much as when they reach the top of the climbing frame in the garden or get a kite off the ground by themselves. It’s easy to take for granted that they can do this but stop to think of the ones who cannot. There are many children who do not have the chances ours do, this is where ‘Children Today’ step in.
Children Today:
Raise funds to provide special equipment for children and young people with disabilities throughout the UK. Their aim is to ensure that every disabled child and young person fulfils their potential and leads an active childhood. Funds donated by their supporters enables them to provide grants to purchase special equipment such as: electric wheelchairs, walking aids, trikes, educational toys (specially designed for children with disabilities), communication aids, adapted car seats, lifting and sleep equipment.
“Your support is invaluable. Whatever you do, you will be making a real difference to the lives of children and young people with disabilities. With 394,000 disabled people under the age of 16 in the UK, we urgently need you to help us change the lives of disabled children and young people. The specialist equipment that our grants and funding provide significantly improves the quality of life of many disabled children, enabling them to achieve their potential and greater independence.”
I learnt more about ‘Children-Today.org.uk’ while searching for an idea on computer aids for disabled users. I love computers, (they are my living) and I hope that my fundraising will go towards bringing the benefits they provide to children and young people who would otherwise go without, imagine that -
HOW LONG COULD YOU GO WITH NO COMPUTER OR LAPTOP?
Ways to help me.
I aim to take a large flag to Mt Kilimanjaro divided up into lots of little patches, one of which could be yours. Send a message, write a Poem/prayer or advertise your business, whatever you like, and just £10 secures a patch (10x5cm) you can have as many as you like. How about one for the family, £20 gets you a 10x10cm square, get the kids to colour it in, that way it should stand out from the Roof of Africa, on Mt Kilimanjaro.
Costs:
To ensure as much of your donations as possible go to the causes I have detailed, my own donation will be £700,
Thanks for taking the time to read my appeal letter, 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. www.justgiving.com/roymacleod
Links:
http://www.children-today.org.uk/ http://www.aidis.org/
They work in partnership with the Aidis Trust who with their knowledge and experience, are able to offer advice and assistance in identifying the computer most suited to a child’s needs.
