A student from Chester has climbed up one of the tallest mountains in the world in aid of a good cause.
Charlotte Hall, of Mickle Trafford, took part in a recent expedition up Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds for children’s projects in developing countries.
Charlotte, 19, was accompanied by 27 other explorers during the seven-day journey up the volcanic mountain, which, at 5,582 metres, ranks fourth in height in the world.
The University of Newcastle student said in the lead-up to the climb she went running “maybe three times a week”, although she did not do much additional training.
She said: “I didn’t know many people who were there so it was good to meet new people. Overall it was a fantastic experience.”
Despite tired legs and the effects of the altitude, all but one of the students made it to the summit.
Charlotte added it was “extremely emotional” for some in the group, but the feat “gave them the opportunity to see the impact their actions could have on the lives of children”.
She said: “I’m really proud after having completed it. But when I was out there I didn’t even think about how challenging it was because everyone was doing the same thing.”
The team also managed to raise a combined £44,000, which will now go to support Comrades Of Children Overseas (COCO). Charlotte raised about £2,800 of that.
COCO was founded by former Great Britain athlete Steve Cram in 2000 and in just 10 years has raised more than £1.7 million, predominantly for children’s education and healthcare in Third World countries.
The organisation encourages community involvement and development, and through this creates brighter futures for many under-privileged children, primarily in Africa but also in other developing countries such as Thailand, Bosnia, Peru and Romania.