The Rotary Club of Northampton Becket
Kilimanjaro
News
Rotary is helping eliminate Polio in the world, for ever! With the help of the World Health Organisation and Microsoft’s Bill Gates, the world is now 99% free of polio. Just 1% to go and that is on course.
Becket's President, Steve Wheeler, together with 9 others (mostly Rotarians) tackled Kilimanjaro in January to raise money to help end this horrible decease. “ End Polio Now” is our lead charity but we shall also support DebRa and other local humanity charities as well through the Club's own Charity, Rotary Club of Northampton Becket Trust Fund (Registerd Charity No 1027352).
This was Steve's second trip to the Mountain
Kilimanjaro, ‘the Roof of Africa’, is almost 20,000 feet high, higher than Everest base camp. Our trek starts in tropical rain forest and ends in arctic conditions, at minus 20c (your freezer works at -18c!). The mountain rises 3 miles from the plains and the air at the top is only 50% oxygen. Breathing, cold and altitude sickness can be a real problem and only 2 out of 3 climbers reach the top.
The average age of climbers there is about 35 but Steve's group is a lot older….
They include grandfathers.
It is hoped to attract sponsors who want to help banish Polio, for ever. All sponsorship raised will go to charity. No expenses are taken. Funds will go to Rotary’s ‘End Polio Now’ campaign ( the national charity working on behalf of people in the UK with the genetic skin blistering condition Epidermolysis Bullosa ) and the rest of your sponsorship will support local Rotary charities.
Please will you help us? Our web site ( http://www.rotarykilimanjaro.org.uk/) gives you information about us and the climb and we shall be happy to answer questions.
Click HERE for more details