Climbing Kilimanjaro
Donation protected
On the 24th February I along with 9 other strong Women will depart on a trip of a lifetime to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, it is the highest mountain in Africa, and rises approximately 5,895 metres (19,341 ft) above sea level.
The 10 of us all have 1 thing in common; we all work for a global organisation called Cox Automotive who as part of their charity work and a campaign called Woman with Drive which inspires women to connect and succeed in the automotive industry by dreaming big and reaching goals, has selected us from the other strong ladies that applied to complete this fantastic adventure!
I am not your usual volunteer to track for 6 days up to 5895m but what I have learnt is that by pushing your boundaries and putting yourself out of your comfort zone can go a long way towards helping people less fortunate and that is what I am prepared to do in order to support our charity Wooden Spoon.
Each year Cox Automotive chooses a different charity to support and this year we have chosen Wooden Spoon, Wooden Spoon is the children’s charity of rugby. They help to provide a wide range of facilities from sensory rooms, specialist playgrounds, sports activities, areas to respite, medical and community care, they fund around 70 projects each year that support disadvantaged and disabled children. Since founding in 1983, they have distributed in excess of £24 million, helping over 1 million young people which is a massive achievement.
THEIR VISION
Through the power of rugby every child and young person, no matter what their background has access to the same opportunities.
THEIR MISSION
To positively transform the lives of children and young people with a disability or facing disadvantage across the UK and Ireland through the power of rugby.
THEIR VALUES
We are inspired by our rugby roots. Passion, Integrity, Teamwork and Fun drive everything we do.
Therefore in order to support this amazing cause, this is what I will be putting myself through:
The 10 of us will be flying out of Manchester late on the 24th February, arriving the following afternoon in Kilimanjaro, the trekking itself will begin on Monday 26th Feb whereby then we will spend the next 6 days walking through a combination of farmland, pine plantations, moorland and up steep slopes taking in the breath-taking views but also combatting the dreaded altitude sickness.
Friday 2nd March - Day 5 will be our toughest but most rewarding, our day will start at midnight it will be by far the steepest and most demanding part of the climb. It will be extremely cold as we walk in darkness on a switchback trail through loose volcanic scree to reach the Crater rim at Gillman's Point (5,685 m). We will get to experience a spectacular sunrise over Mawenzi before then proceeding with a three hour round trip along the snow-covered rim to the true summit of Uhuru Peak (5,895m)
We then begin our descent to our campsite at Horombo (3,720m) a total of between 11 and 15 hours walking at high altitude, the next day we finish our decent and arrive back at base camp for a well-earned hot shower!! We will then leave Kilimanjaro the following day arriving back into Manchester early hours of Monday morning 5th March.
Before this I didn’t even own a pair of walking boots and my usual hang out would be propping up a bar and sipping on prosecco. The fact that this is so far from my usual high heels makes me even more determined to complete this once in a lifetime opportunity and raise as much money as I possibly can for children less fortunate than me. I feel highly honoured to have been selected and I have been training hard in order to prepare myself for this great experience
Any support you can offer me in order to help this worthy cause is greatly received, thank you for taking the time to read my page
Wish me luck!!
Lots of Love
Kirsty xx
The 10 of us all have 1 thing in common; we all work for a global organisation called Cox Automotive who as part of their charity work and a campaign called Woman with Drive which inspires women to connect and succeed in the automotive industry by dreaming big and reaching goals, has selected us from the other strong ladies that applied to complete this fantastic adventure!
I am not your usual volunteer to track for 6 days up to 5895m but what I have learnt is that by pushing your boundaries and putting yourself out of your comfort zone can go a long way towards helping people less fortunate and that is what I am prepared to do in order to support our charity Wooden Spoon.
Each year Cox Automotive chooses a different charity to support and this year we have chosen Wooden Spoon, Wooden Spoon is the children’s charity of rugby. They help to provide a wide range of facilities from sensory rooms, specialist playgrounds, sports activities, areas to respite, medical and community care, they fund around 70 projects each year that support disadvantaged and disabled children. Since founding in 1983, they have distributed in excess of £24 million, helping over 1 million young people which is a massive achievement.
THEIR VISION
Through the power of rugby every child and young person, no matter what their background has access to the same opportunities.
THEIR MISSION
To positively transform the lives of children and young people with a disability or facing disadvantage across the UK and Ireland through the power of rugby.
THEIR VALUES
We are inspired by our rugby roots. Passion, Integrity, Teamwork and Fun drive everything we do.
Therefore in order to support this amazing cause, this is what I will be putting myself through:
The 10 of us will be flying out of Manchester late on the 24th February, arriving the following afternoon in Kilimanjaro, the trekking itself will begin on Monday 26th Feb whereby then we will spend the next 6 days walking through a combination of farmland, pine plantations, moorland and up steep slopes taking in the breath-taking views but also combatting the dreaded altitude sickness.
Friday 2nd March - Day 5 will be our toughest but most rewarding, our day will start at midnight it will be by far the steepest and most demanding part of the climb. It will be extremely cold as we walk in darkness on a switchback trail through loose volcanic scree to reach the Crater rim at Gillman's Point (5,685 m). We will get to experience a spectacular sunrise over Mawenzi before then proceeding with a three hour round trip along the snow-covered rim to the true summit of Uhuru Peak (5,895m)
We then begin our descent to our campsite at Horombo (3,720m) a total of between 11 and 15 hours walking at high altitude, the next day we finish our decent and arrive back at base camp for a well-earned hot shower!! We will then leave Kilimanjaro the following day arriving back into Manchester early hours of Monday morning 5th March.
Before this I didn’t even own a pair of walking boots and my usual hang out would be propping up a bar and sipping on prosecco. The fact that this is so far from my usual high heels makes me even more determined to complete this once in a lifetime opportunity and raise as much money as I possibly can for children less fortunate than me. I feel highly honoured to have been selected and I have been training hard in order to prepare myself for this great experience
Any support you can offer me in order to help this worthy cause is greatly received, thank you for taking the time to read my page
Wish me luck!!
Lots of Love
Kirsty xx
Organizer and beneficiary
Kirsty Parkinson
Organizer
Matthew Parkinson
Beneficiary
