On 30 March 2018, we will be setting off to Nepal to tackle a 13 day trek to Everest Base Camp in aid of two organisations:

1) Wheelchair Foundation UK - Link to website and Link to video

2) Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children - Link to website

This is a MASSIVE challenge for us and clearly a once in a lifetime adventure which we are entirely self-funding. We've been in training for months.... we've ditched the wine, max-ed out our holiday allowances, dug out (or bought!) walking boots and spent weekends travelling across the UK in a bid to get some uphill miles on our shaky legs! Fear is a wonderful motivator - we've dragged ourselves up Scottish Munros, lumbered up Slieve Donard, tackled the Brecon Beacons and now routinely walk to work in high vis and boots in a desperate bid to get fit enough... It's been a real adventure so far and, with the departure date looming, we're only getting started.

We will be trekking for 13 days - 9 up and 4 down - to reach Everest Base Camp at a height of 5,380m (17,600 ft). The trek follows the Dudh Kosi valley route with an ascent up to the Sherpa capital of Namche Bazaar. From Namche, we traverse along a high path towards the Thangboche Monastery located on top of a mountain ridge before descending to the Imja Khola and continuing to the villages of Pangboche and Dingbouche. We then head to to the Khumbu Glacier and trek through a glacier taking us to Lobuche and Gorak Shep. From Gorak Shep we climb up to Kala Pattar before reaching our destination, Everest Base Camp, at the foot of the Khumbu icefall and, just when we think it's over, we climb Kala Phattar the following day.

Please take a quick look at the life-changing organisations we are supporting. We have picked them for the very real and immediate impact they have on the people they help.

1) The Wheelchair Foundation UK provides wheelchairs to those who desperately need one but cannot afford one. They bring hope, dignity and new independence to those deprived of mobility by war, disease, accident, natural disaster or advanced age. A donation of £75 will sponsor, ship and deliver a wheelchair to a person desperately in need wherever in the world. Importantly, they are designed for rough terrain and can function effectively wherever they are sent. Photos of recipients will be shared following our group donation.

2) The Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children is the only hospital in Northern Ireland dedicated specifically to the care of children. It has 107 beds, and provides general hospital care for children living in Belfast, as well as providing most of the paediatric regional specialities for children throughout Northern Ireland.

We really hope you think our effort is worthy of your sponsorship. If you are able to make a donation, any amount big or small, it will go to two great causes and we will split the money equally between both organisations (unless you specify which you would like to support particularly).

Follow our Instagram page @ditchingwinetoclimb to check out our training exploits and stay updated as we tackle the real thing, Everest Base Camp.

Thank you so much for your time and support.

Love,

Ditching Wine To Climb Girls!

Olivia Clowes, Alexandra Fagan, Georgina Hutchinson, Lauren Mills & Saffron Oliver

Instagram - @ditchingwinetoclimb