Adventurous trekkers complete trip of a lifetime and raise £100,000 for Wrexham hospice

An adventurous group of hikers have completed the trip of a lifetime and raised an incredible £100,000 for a Wrexham-based hospice.

The 23 trekkers, who are taking on a series of overseas challenges, have just finished a seven-day 66k trek, reaching the 5895m summit of the famous Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

In doing so they have topped a remarkable £100,000 for their chosen charity – Nightingale House Hospice.

The trek followed the Machame Route, approaching Kilimanjaro from the South through dense tropical rainforest, moorland, and scree.

Climbing one of the most impressive mountains in the world has been one of the group’s most challenging charity treks at altitude.

This was the hospice’s fourth international challenge and had been postponed in 2021 because of the pandemic. Remarkably, it took place just eight weeks after some of the group had returned from completing the Inca Trail trek in Peru.

Their Kilimanjaro adventure started at Machame Gate when they began a steady ascent through rainforest. A slow hike with plenty of rests and enough time to acclimatise followed the next day with magnificent views of Mount Meru rising above Arusha Town.

Reaching Lava Tower on the fifth day was an important acclimatisation day climbing to 4,600m. On the following day they conquered the Great Barranco Wall which involved lots of scrambling using hands and feet before reaching the mountain summit on the seventh day.

Raising money for patient care at the hospice, many took part in memory or to celebrate the life of a loved one.

Challenge Events Coordinator Bethan Scott who took part in the trek said: “I am so proud of this incredible group of trekkers taking on Mount Kilimanjaro the highest mountain in Africa and the highest single free-standing mountain above sea level in the world.

“I saw first-hand how being at altitude affected our team, including nausea, headaches, lack of oxygen and acute mountain sickness.

“The courage, determination and sheer will to succeed shown by this group was inspirational. They found a way to overcome every obstacle. Personal targets were smashed, friendships were formed, and bodies were pushed to the limit.

“Reaching base camp as a team and then starting our final ascent at midnight, stopping every 15 minutes to tackle the final section is a memory we will never forget. We are now part of an exclusive club, we set out as 23 and we were back at the bottom of that mountain as 23.

“To have already raised over £100,000 is simply staggering. I want to thank every single person for taking on this challenge and as a team we want to thank every single person who has donated – we always say it doesn’t matter if it`s a £1, £10 or £100 as we truly know that every penny makes a difference.”

“Finally, thanks and appreciation go to our team of Tanzanian guides and our UK support team.”

The team is already planning its next challenge, the Camino De Santiago trek taking place in October 2023. Anyone interested in joining them should contact [email protected]

You can donate to the group via Justgiving.