Hello people. It seems I have a mountain to climb.

As a lot you will know I have not taken the decision to do this lightly. I generally smoke and drink too much so climbing a volcano is not something I'm gonna be able to do in my sleep. I'm gonna put a fair bit of effort into cutting down on the above and make sure I'm in healthy condition to be able to climb 4 miles towards space. 

I'm gonna have to contend with altitude sickness, blisters, possible hypothermia and frostbite and, according to some websites, a possible flair up of any previous vaginal infection (this nearly broke the deal for me). I also discovered that one person a month dies on the mountain (also worrying).

The general jist of things is that the money I raise gets split between helping the homeless and vulnerable around Guildford and charities in Tanzania. I will spend 6 days climbing Kili and then do a 6 day work placement helping with building projects in the village of Moshi near the mountain. (more details below). 

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.

The Uru North Community Development Trust (UNCODET) is a community NGO representing 4 villages (Njari, Ongoma, Mrawi and Msuni) in the Uru area of Moshi rural (about 30 minutes drive from Moshi town). Most of the 30,000 or so villagers in this area are subsistence farmers who sell any excess produce at the local market. The community benefits from a tiny amount of tourism revenue, as well as limited employment at nearby coffee estates. UNCODET grew out of a need for the villages to work together, pooling resources and skills to improve the lives of all. It has benefited from links with other NGOs both locally and internationally including the Brampton Tanzania Trust and Skillshare International. While it faces many challenges, UNCODET is a shining example of how communities in rural Tanzania can be proactive in working together to address common problems.