Thanks for taking the time to visit my 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.

The charity is the Women's Support Project, Glasgow.  They have established an Ingrid McClements Memorial Award. It will be used to challenge male violence and support women survivours of male violence, proiritising women from the following communities: Disabled, Black and Minotiry Ethnic, Lesbian, Refugee and Asylum Seeking. (more details are available on their web site "womenssupportproject.co.uk")

The 5th December will be the first anniversary of Ingrid's death, and many of us will be thinking about how we have come to terms with our great loss. The energy and dynamism of the women at the project has through this Award ensured Ingrid's legacy, and we would like to raise money to contribute to their fund.

As we shall be somewhere in the Nepalese Himalayas on that day, it would make our steps more meaningful if they could be sponsored. I shall be walking with Matthew and a friend, Christine Gledhill. Beginning from Lukla, we hope to reach the summit nearest to Everest Base Camp, Kala Pattar. We are philosophical about the possibility that (in one case) arthritic knees, and - for all of us - the vagaries of altitude sickness might ground us at a lower level.

Any sponsorship should not cost you dear! Altitude rather than kilometres is the target. It would be wonderful if you could commit any sum from £1 upwards per thousand feet of altitude gained by the team.  Our starting point is Lukla at 2860 metres/9,383 feet and the highest point Kala Pattar 5623 metres/18,448 feet.

All being well we should be back at Thames level, London, on Thursday 10th December and will send you the results and photos.

Very many thanks.

Love and solidarity

Chris Matthew Chris.

Update: London 14th Dec 2009:

As the photos show, the mission was accomplished. We reached the summit of Kala Pathar  two weeks after beginning the trek in Lukla, a 45 minute flight from Kathmandhu-an exciting ride in a fragile twelve seater plane, bouncing in the turbulence as we approached the mountains. It was a team effort, our success due entirely to the peerless support of our 4 Nepalese friends, all qualified guides- being two married couples, also great friends, who graciously insisted that our month together was a "festival" for them,  a rare treat to get away from their work in Pokhara (Annapurna Region)and be together. Most lodge owners were very impressed by them and frequently asked if they were newly weds, as they were so joyful in each other's company!

It certainly took all their incredible skills to get us there. Indra was our chief, guiding us on our seventh trek with him, and fountain of all religious,cultural and political knowledge. In Namche Bazaar, on the way back, he became our chief Global Climate correspondent, having blagged his way into the cxonference of 20 Nepali Ministers gathered there,by helicopters, for their pre Copenhagen conference policy meeting; he enjoyed shaking the PM's hand and the excellent free lunch! He and Matthew took sensible medical precautions and left the final  metres of the assault on Kala Patthar to the other five of us- someone had to be the reception committee at base...

The unfailing humour and nursing skills of Indra's wife Mana, and the brilliant,life-saving massage skills of Prem & Maina (who carried  their ayurvedic oils with them on top of all the baggage) kept us going through back injury and Altitude Mountain Sickness which threatened to halt us respectively at various stages. Above all they were guiding spirits who had simply decided that the two Chris's were to "dance and sing on Kala Pathar" and never mind if it took two weeks. As founders of the Slow Trekking Movement we were to find time for Prem to make his wild life video, out of sight beyond two ridges, filming Himalayan Thar (goats) , and then probably hold the record for length of stay on the summit. Having ascended above the black ,jagged rocks and gale blowing sand into us, we found a sun trap on the furthest flat rocks and enjoyed a picnic of omelettes and parathas and flasks of tea. By the time we had taken photos of the whole 360 degree panorama of mountains,including action shots of three mini avalanches, over three hours had somehow passed. Our last act was to add to the many chortens (stone memorials) and we built the one for Ingrid, in the photo. The strength of the Sherpa Buddhist culture is evident thoughout the Everest region, and the long lines of prayer flags fluttering down from the summit emphasise the spiritual sense of the mountains.

There was also a beautifully carved angel, of polished stone, erected by a peace group, so I think Ingrid would have approved of this site.

With love,thanks and all seasonal greetings,

Chris,

& Matthew & Chris G.