Craig:

Working in hospitality means going the extra mile to look after hotel guest every day. But now I'm putting on my walking boots to go the extra mile of a different kind.

The trek will be a huge personal challenge for me, but one I'm willing to do to help COTM build schools and offer education to children who would otherwise miss out.

Every donation is appreciated and will spur me on - thank you!

Kaye:

When I was introduced to the work Mike Smith and John Matthews, founder of the charity, were doing I was bowled over and knew immediately I wanted to be involved more. Before I knew it, Mike had sorted our flights to Katmandu! I can’t wait - it will be life changing I know!

We are all so very lucky to live in a safe environment with our families, friends and support of local communities, of course we complain about daily life challenges, but it is beyond comprehension that in this world so many children suffer without the basic life requirements.

This charity makes things happen, by getting people involved and then make a difference to the lives of young children, with a vision for a fairer world where all children of gender, caste or economic circumstance have access to an education as a means of overcoming hardship and inequality.

So, Craig and I are going to work extremely hard and dedicate all the time it needs, with the support of our families; friends and work colleagues to raise as much as possible protect these vulnerable children, inspire teachers and enable adults to be strong and competitive.

We will keep you posted on our fundraising events, we would love you to join us on one of them if you can. Then when we return, we cannot wait to share our story about this amazing trip to help these young people.

Children of the Mountain:

Many young children attend school on empty stomachs, are unable to concentrate and struggle to enjoy learning. A donation of £100 provides a 5 year old with a nourishing hot meal every morning and afternoon snack for one year .

Many children in the community we support never get the chance to attend school, or they are forced to drop out early. A donation of £200 provides the uniforms and materials a child needs to attend primary school for a year.

Early years education is not funded by the government and lacks teachers. Community members work for free and without books or materials. A donation of £500 provides a qualified kindergarten teacher to nurture the first steps of 50 children for a year .

Teachers in the community we support are very committed to providing quality education but lack the skills and support. A donation of £1,000 provides a teacher salary plus the training with the creative learning skills they need to inspire and motivate 100 children.

Our Kindergartens are safe inspiring spaces with brightly painted walls, child friendly furniture, special dual language books and educational toys. A donation of £2,000 provides a bright and creative space to attract children to school .

Our specially designed laptop program for primary grade students nurtures children’s innate desire to learn in a creative manner and enables teachers to utilise technology as an effective learning tool. A donation of £10,000 provides a primary school with 10 content rich laptops and a year’s support.

Many of the children in Nepal have no school buildings and attend lessons in a tin shed, out in the open or no longer attend at all. A donation of £8,000 provides 50 children with a safe secure learning environment including furniture and learning materials .

• More about the charity: http://childrenofthemountain.org