I am Paul Cookson, Head of Finance at Eden Valley Hospice, and I am set to mark my 60th birthday with a challenge of a lifetime involving my four sons and family friends on an attempt to conquer Kilimanjaro.

Nicholas Cookson now has his own JustGiving page - you can sponsor him by clicking here!

Michael Cookson also has his JustGiving page, located here.

The group will depart for Nairobi on 31st March, 2013, to undertake the two-week challenge, which will see us climb to the 5,895m peak of Africa’s largest mountain.

The group has been planning this self-funded trip for more than 18 months. The mammoth expedition will conclude with a two-day safari after the Kilimanjaro challenge has been completed.

Despite the trip being individually funded by the members of the group, I am raising money for the hospice in a challenge entitled “Roof of Africa for the roof of the Hospice”.

I am attempting to raise funds to pay for the solar panels which were fitted to the Hospice in March.

Some of these expeditions are organised by obtaining sponsorship and working in conjunction with a specific charity in order to fund the challenge. However, this time it is self-funded by each member of the group.

However, I will be raising money for the Eden Valley Hospice to go towards the cost of the solar panels which have recently been fitted to the kitchen roof.

Thanks for taking the time to visit our 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 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!