Story
In June this year I will be attempting to climb the highest peak in Western Europe, Mont Blanc. It stands at 4810 Meters in the French Alps and is not for the faint of heart.
The climb will take 3 days and will mean getting up as early as 1am to climb in temperatures of up to -20 during which there is less risk of an avalanche.
I have never climbed anything of this height before with Pen-Y-Fan (886m) and Slieve Donard (849m) being the highest peaks I've previously climbed.
There is a 60 to 70 degree rock climb section on the route up to Mont Blanc from Tete Rousse to Gouter Hut which is about the height of Slieve Donard itself.
A good video of the mountain can be seen to the left of this page.
So why you ask, am I attempting something so bonkers mad?!
Well for a start I won't be alone and will be climbing with other colleagues from Surrey Police.
We are also climbing for charity and I have decided to support two really important charities.
In order to support both charities I have set up a page for each. This one is for the Isobel Kelley Fund and the Guy and St Thomas' Charity one can be found here.
On each page I have added a little section at the bottom about the charity on that page.
I would love it if you could visit each page and make a donation, with the ultimate aim to raise £500 for each charity.
Please dig deep for these worthy causes.
Thank you, Conor.
Isobel Kelley Fund
The Isobel Kelley Fund is a fund set up by Kate and Dave Kelley in support of the Samantha Dickson Research Trust.
Their daughter Isobel was a happy, pretty, and apparently fit and healthy two year old living in Four Marks. On 27th July 2003 she got out of bed in the morning and couldn't stand up. Two days later she was diagnosed with a brain tumour. She had an inoperable primitive neuroectodermal tumour (PNET) in her thalamus. Because of her age radiotherapy was not an option and chemotherapy was thought unlikely to succeed. Despite an operation to insert shunts to remove the pressure in her brain, she tragically died at home just three weeks after her first diagnosis.
Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: SDBTT - Isobel Kelley Fund gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.
A quick thankyou to www.mountaintrekandtravel.com who assisted in discounting some of the equipment I'll be using. They've got a shop in Guildford next to Dusk and the staff are extremely helpful. Recommended.