In recent years I have been completing various treks in Nepal and South America for fun. This summer I am trekking to the summit of Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. The total trek will take seven days. Which means sleeping in a tent and going without showering for six, of those seven days. I decided it would be a good idea to use this trek as a way to raise some money for two important charities. The first being, Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders and the second being St Mary’s Duke of Edinburgh Award bursary.

Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders provide emergency assistance to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics and natural or man-made disasters, without discrimination and irrespective of race, religion, gender or political affiliation.

MSF are currently assisting in the Gaza strip where they believe 36,000 people have been killed and 80,000 have been wounded. 1.7 million people are estimated to have been forcibly displaced creating a humanitarian crisis. MSF is delivering around 200 tons of medical supplies each month and work to provide around 300 cubic metres of water per day. MSF staff have been working in hospitals providing surgical care, wound and burn care and other essential medical needs. I strongly feel they deserve all the help possible.

Last year Mrs Williams and myself have had the honour of restarting the Duke of Edinburgh, at St Mary’s, with great success. In June 2024, 19 pupils successfully completed their Bronze Expedition trekking and camping in Essex. In October, St Mary’s will be offering both Bronze and Silver Awards to our pupils.

For those that decide to enrol, pupils will choose a physical activity and skill to develop. They will also need to volunteer their time to a worthy cause. Two overnight expeditions will also be completed. I will be producing a video diary of my time in Tanzania, and pupils will hopefully pick up a few useful tips during our DofE sessions.

The Duke of Edinburgh team would like to build up a bank of supplies such as tents, back packs, sleeping mats and general equipment to make available for students participating in the programme. It would be brilliant to be able to assist our pupils who are interested in such a positive adventure. The DofE gives students the opportunity to develop skills and qualities that will last them a lifetime. Between April 2023 and March 2024, 545,910 students participated in the DofE. 50,277 (15.2%) of those students were considered to be 'experiancing poverty'. The Duke of Edinburgh team at St Mary's wants to make the DofE accessible to all our pupils struggling during a cost of living crisis. Any donations given will help us make that a reality.

I also hope my summer challenge to push myself a bit, while collecting a few pounds for two worthy causes, will inspire our pupils to enrol in October, and try their own personal challenges.