Keen walker Rhiannon Thomson is about to take a break from her day-job as marketing director at The Spinney Day Nursery and face the gruelling challenge of ascending Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, in order to raise vital funds for a local charity. Here she explains her motivation:
“What is it about mountains that create a fascination for many people? Is it the fact that they are shrouded in mystery, or that they have stood as sculptures in the landscape since time before man, or that each tells its own story and carries a mysticism in its name? Or is it quite simply that being on the summit of a mountain both evokes a feeling of magnitude and insignificance?
“Whatever it is about mountains, it had me hooked from a very young age. Having been brought up in North Wales with Snowdonia and the Clwydian range as my ‘playground’, I have always been drawn to mountains and the challenges they provide. You wouldn’t perhaps think it to look at me, but I am a keen hiker and have conquered many a mountain in the UK. However, the idea of summiting Snowdon again, at 3,560ft again, seemed a bit too easy for what I was after, and so came the thought of ‘let’s try something a little higher….’
“Standing at 19,340ft above sea level, Mount Kilimanjaro (or the ‘Shining
Mountain’) is the highest free-standing mountain in the world and therefore by no means an easy feat. Not only do you have to be prepared for every type of climate (from the sweltering sun at the base to the freezing cold summit), you have to contend with the possible effects of altitude sickness and the usual hikers’ enemies of dehydration, blisters and exhaustion. It’s a tough, long hike and can be considered as both a mental and physical challenge. Just what I was after!
“The Spinney Day Nursery was introduced to the charity Save the Family about six months ago and we were ultimately impressed by what the charity does in terms of providing help, support and nurture for families that have experienced tough times, and for one reason or another have become homeless. To learn that in many cases when a family loses their home the children can be split up and put into care, sometimes far away from each other, really shocked me. This is where Save the Family steps in by providing accommodation as well as a supportive environment to enable the families to get back on their feet. The Plas Bellin Hall site in Northop really has to be seen to be believed, and with the Cotton Edmunds site well underway for completion this year, it is clear that the charity is extending its good work.
“The Spinney Day Nursery immediately knew that this is a charity that we, as a business, would be keen to support, and what better way for me to show this personally than by attempting the Mt Kilimanjaro Charity Trek on behalf of Save the Family? And so, on September 12 this year, I will be jetting off to begin the adventure in Tanzania.
“I have been really moved by the kind support of friends, family and even complete strangers who have heard about the Charity Trek and donated money. With only three months to go I am looking to raise a brilliant amount for the brilliant cause that is Save the Family.”
If you would like to personally donate towards Rhiannon’s Kilimanjaro Charity Trek in aid of Save the Family, please visit: http://www.justgiving.com/Rhiannon-Thomson
