Jay has completed the Mount Kilimanjaro Trek and yes he was "Man enough" to reach the summit.
If you are interested then he has written a short account which you can find below if not then we would just like to say thank you very much for all the support you have given and the money you have helped raise.
I know he is glad he did it as he has not stopped wearing his Mount Kilimanjaro t-shirt since he got home!
I am well proud of you Jay!! Congratulations!
The money you help us to raise will be going to Help for Heroes!
So please, please, please spread the word and make just a small donation and help us reach our final target!
Thank you so much for your donations and support!
Em and Jay
xxx xxx
Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Help for Heroes gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.
Jay's Story
A group of 28 ordinary people flew from Heathrow on the morning of the 10 October 2009 Help for Heroes fund raising, & were met by their “Discover Adventure (DA)” leaders Andy, Simon and the Doctor Hannah.
Some of the group had already met up with each other whilst training but for the rest of us simply looked for the Kilimanjaro t-shirts.
The group was a very mixed one, with a politician (Royston), a magistrate (Cecilia aged 72), a business recovery specialist (Jenny), various partners with forces’ serving family and loved ones, 5 ex forces and 2 currently serving members.
I was about
to do, looking back, the hardest thing I have ever done in my life.
The weather was mixed, always dry but the mist and fog came in on a couple of occasions. We walked through the rainforest to begin with, then onto the plains, through the lava fields and towers to the final camp.
The porters and chefs are amazing; they carry all our kit plus the tents and the food. They are so friendly. Nothing seems to faze them. I have the ultimate respect for what they do.
We set off for the summit at midnight on Thursday, 15th October 2009 and walked through until the sun rose over the summit. I made it to that summit – Uhuru Peak - at 0815hrs and was the second person in our group to get to the top. What a view!! At 5,895 metres above sea level I suppose it was inevitable as long as the skies were relatively clear! (In old money that’s a cool 19,341 feet!)
To be honest it does not matter how fit you are on the final day it was a level playing field. Altitude sickness kicks in and then it is a case of how strong your mind is.
I suffered from nausea, vomiting and blurred vision, but thanks to Doctor Hannah I made it to the top. 28 started out for the summit and 26 made the top.
I have raised nearly £3000 for Help for Heroes so far and I hope I can keep on raising money for this worth while charity. Our group have raised to date £165,000.00 for Help for Heroes and we were the first group to do this trek.
I am due to deploy to Afghanistan for my 5 time in August 2010 and am glad that charities like Help for Heroes are out there should the worst happen.
Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Help for Heroes gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.
