In December I will be travelling to Kenya to climb Mt Kenya in order to raise money for a wonderful charity I am supporting called Wac Arts. We will be a group of 10 people in total. I have never done anything like this before. The last trek I went on was for the Duke of Edinburgh Silver award and that was only 100km in the flat Hampshire countryside!

In order to prepare for the trek, I am training at the gym and have already greatly improved my cardio. There is an altitude chamber at the Cannon Street gym so I will be able to experience the feeling of training at high altitude.

We will leave on Thursday 15^th December and spend 6 days/5 nights on the mountain, as we will need to acclimatise to the high altitude. On Monday 19^th December we will reach the summit called Point Lenana, the third highest peak on the mountain (4,985m (16,355ft)).

Mount Kenya is the highest mountain in Kenya and the second-highest in Africa, after Kilimanjaro. The highest peak of the mountain is Batian (5,199m (17,057ft)). Mount Kenya is located in central Kenya, about 16.5 km (10.3 mi) south of the equator, around 150km (93mi) north-northeast of the capital Nairobi. Mount Kenya is the source of the name of the Republic of Kenya.

In fact, Mt Kenya and the giant lobelia plants which are endemic to the mountain were featured on David Attenborough’s Planet Earth 2 (Episode 2: Mountains). The scenery looks stunning. I was also slightly surprised to see that the summit is snow-capped!

I do hope you will support me in this endeavour and help to raise money for this amazing charity which will greatly improve many childen’s lives.

Thank-you.

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Wac Arts is a vibrant charity which transforms the lives
of thousands of young people through its broad range of programmes in
performing arts and media. From its inception in 1978, Wac Arts has been
supporting young people aged 5-26, who are experiencing exceptional challenges
and hardship, by providing outstanding levels of arts training, mentoring and
education, with a focus on innovation and excellence. We believe every
individual has a talent and it’s our job to help them find it and go on to
achieve their potential in life. Wac Arts have built an extraordinary track
record for their work with the most vulnerable in our society.

For more information please visit www.wacarts.co.uk

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