Wellbeing of Women Team Kilimanjaro Reunited - Mount Toubkal Weekend Adventure Fix

About 4 years ago I began to organise annual climbs of Kilimanjaro with friends and colleagues to raise money for the women's health charity, Wellbeing of Women. These climbs have not only raised over 100,000gbp for the charity, they've also led me to meet a huge number of incredibly inspiring men and women who I now call friends.

As we were descending from the upper slopes of Kilimanjaro earlier this year, there was a general consensus among the team, based on our collective successes on the mountain, that we would have to do another adventure together - something short, achievable and ideally in the summer. It didn't take much convincing to get the team signed up to climb Mt. Toubkal,  (4167m) and the highest peak in North Africa... 

Fast forward a few months and I found myself, bleary eyed, on an early EasyJet flight to Marrakesch loaded with a small backpack, and eagerly looking forward to the adventure ahead.

I climbed Toubkal in the summer of 2011 and again in 2012 - so it had been a few years since my last visit. What I love about this little adventure-fix is the sense of satisfaction that you get on Monday morning when you’re sitting back in the office and people ask what you did over the weekend…. apart from go to Morocco and climb a 4000m mountain..! Perhaps it’s because both the geography is so different from ours but the weekend break genuinely feels like a week long holiday.

From the colourful souks of Marrakech, with their vendors of spices, carpets and bright leather goods, to the pretty stone-built villages of the Berber people, I was very much looking forward to sharing the experience of climbing in Morocco at its most authentic and getting in a healthy dose of exercise at the same time. As the pilot announced that it was a balmy 38 degrees in Marrakech we began to mentally prepare to bask in the sunshine and enjoy our cheeky escape.

The morning was spent wandering around the city, losing ourselves in the hustle and bustle of the markets and exchanging pleasantries with the vendors actively selling their wares under the blazing sun. It was scorchingly hot and we sought the shade offered by shops to take respite from the heat. The tourist trade was in full swing as we bright leather goods and carpets drew us into a maze of streets leading us ever further away from the heart of the city.

That night, with our team all assembled from various flights throughout the day, we all met for a mouth watering Moroccan dinner - delicious tangines, olives, teas - on the roof of a local restaurant with the most spectacular views of the city.

Day 1: Drive to Imlil and trek to the Neltner Refuge below Toubkal

After an especially carb-loaded breakfast, we set off on a spectacular 1.5 hour drive southwards out of the city with the peaks of the Atlas Mountains ahead of us to the start point of our trek. We stopped at the bazaar town of Asni, where we took a quick walk through the market and was absolutely overwhelmed by the plethora of vibrant colors of the wide array of fruits and vegetables being sold by the locals – onions, aubergines, apples, oranges, melons of every size, shape and color, nectarines, grapes, lemons, limes, plums… and on and on and on. Leaving Asni, we turned off of the main road and began the stunning climb into trail. 

Little had changed since my last visit. As we began the climb up the first gradual hill as the sun beat down overhead I spent some time in quiet reflection thinking of the year gone by and the many challenges that the future holds in the months ahead – work, expeditions, family, friends…. The sun was soon replaced by thick and rather ominous looking clouds. Sure enough, the heavens opened just as we passed the village and holy shrine of Sidi Chamharouch (2310m) which is surrounded by rocky peaks. A huge white-painted boulder marks the spot where, legend has it, a holy man lies entombed.

We had a delicious lunch made up of some fresh vegetables and then set off again for a steady climb of about 3 hours to reach the Neltner Refuge (3207m) where we would spend the night. Operated by the Club Alpin Francais (CAF) this hut was only completed in 2000 and has been designed to (loosely) resemble a Berber fortified dwelling. The hut sleeps around 80 people in dormitory accommodation. The refuge is a very basic mountain hut but it does have bathrooms and showers, plus a couple of large dining areas and a lounge with an open fire. 

After a fantastic dinner our guide gave us a thorough briefing on the history and geography of Morocco. It was a great overview and certainly provided me with a greater appreciation of the history and geography of the country and its people. In true mountian form, by the time 9pm rolled around my eyes were drooping and my sleeping bag beckoned..!

Day 2: Ascent of Mount Toubkal

After a 5am breakfast, we set off on the steep-ish ascent of Toubkal. Our route zig-zagged eastwards, directly above the hut across scree and boulders, before passing between two rocky guardian peaks to reach a high corrie. The temperature was mild and a comfortable 10 degrees. We continued upwards across more scree, with the views becoming more expansive as we reached the ridge-line which dropped off steeply to the east. At 8.30am, we arrived at the distinctive metal and brightly spray-painted tripod which marks Toubkal’s summit. At 4167m, you can definitely notice breathlessness due to the altitude but it was a feeling that I was more than familiar with and was happy that my body quickly remembered how to adapt.

No matter how many times I stand on the summit of a hill or peak or cross over a high mountain pass, I can’t help but feel a great sense of awe, satisfaction and feeling of freedom. As I tried to absorb the breathtaking views of the peaks of the High Atlas away to the north-east and of the Anti Atlas (Jebel Sirwa prominent) and the Sahara to the south I couldn’t help but feel lucky to have had the opportunity to be part of these adventures and experience the hospitality of such an old and traditional culture.

We began our 2300m descent back to Imlil and back to Marrakech. Reaching the hotel at 6pm I must admit, I was absolutely exhausted and struggled to keep my eyes open. A lovely roof-top dinner closed the evening where we reflected on the fantastic weekend and looked forward to future adventures and travels. 

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SUMMIT SUCCESS! Kilimanjaro Climb raises over 25,000 GBP to support research into the health and wellbeing of women and babies

As I type the final members of our team are making their way back to the UK from the heights of Tanzania. We left just over 8 days ago as colleagues, bound together by a common ambition to reach the Roof of Africa. We return to sea-level bound by new friendships and memories that will last a lifetime – friendships built through shared laughs, fears, experiences, and a shared sense of team as we plodded our way to the 5,895m summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.

As individuals we pushed ourselves to our personal limits, to the nth degree and beyond, putting one heavy altitude weighted foot in front of the other whilst being spurred on the journey by our collective sense of team and sights on the ultimate objective.

One thing that I have learned from this adventure is the importance of celebrating success in the progress toward a goal. The goals of this 4th PwC Wellbeing of WomenKilimanjaro Climb were to (1) reach and surpass our 20K target and (2) challenge ourselves our journey to the summit of Kilimanjaro (3) have fun!

‘Fresh’ off the plane last Saturday evening, our PwC team sat down for our very first dinner together in our hotel in Arusha, Tanzania. Anticipation was running high. It was here that I realised just how much we’d achieved already – not only had we put together a strong, connected team with a common vision and common goals, we’d also actually made the preparations to say ‘Yes, let’s do this..!’  Shiny new kit had been purchased, flights had been taken via cities who’s names we could hardly pronounce, Tanzanian visas had been sorted, overflowing bags had arrived, hotels had been booked, new boots had been broken in… and nearly £10,000 had already been raised for Wellbeing of Women through the hard work, creativity, passion and commitment of the team.

So much achieved, so much to celebrate - and we hadn’t even set foot on the mountain yet!

The trip continued to be jam-packed with successes. At the end of our first day we crammed into our mess-tent, bundled into our warm jackets and hugging hot cups of tea we raised a toast to the days achievements. Everyone was smiling. Everyone was laughing. The team had made tremendous progress already – Camp 1 reached – and it was only a matter of ‘onward and upward’ to reach the following day’s objective.

The days on the trail passed quickly, broken up through ‘sippy-sippy’ water drinking stops, eating stops, photo-stops, sunscreen application stops… all the while conversations flowed, learning more about each other and the environments we were passing through.

When the team reached our ‘base camp’, 'Kibo Hut' at 4,750m (almost as high as the summit of Mont Blanc!) in the early afternoon before our ‘summit push’ the effects of altitude were starting to show. We walked across the saddle between Mawenzi peak and Kibo, with laborious breaths, our packs suddenly feeling heavier and every step harder than the last. This did little to dampen team spirit as we settled in for the afternoon and began mentally preparing for the challenge ahead. We would be leaving camp at 11.30pm for our ascent.

Heads down, our Kilimanjaro conga-line snaked its way through the seemingly endless switchbacks and zig-zags over the volcanic scree. We stopped every hour for no more than 5 minutes to refuel and reassess our progress. It wasn’t until I looked up to see the familiar rocky final section that I realised that we’d reached the  first of the three summits – Gillmans Point (5685m) – in record time and in the dark..!

We then continued on with a further 3-hour round trip to the summit, Uhuru Peak - the highest point of all Africa. The route took us through a moonscape of volcanic rock and remnant glaciers with their impressive ice cliffs.

I can safely say that I’ve rarely seen such an incredible sunrise. The conditions were clear and there were panoramic views over the crater, to Mawenzi and Mount Meru looking very small below us. The view from the final summit was quite literally ‘breathtaking’.

Despite our cold fingers, desperate gasps of rarefied air, throbbing heads, and rosy cheeks, we were laughing as the dawn broke over the summit crater in spectacular fashion and we celebrated our combined successes. A ‘journey’ that had started with an email saying ‘Yes! Sign me up!’ led to these happy (tired!) faces, new friendships and memories to last a lifetime. Additionally, we succeeded in our challenge to surpass our fundraising target, raising over £21,000 for Wellbeing of Women – money that will go toward funding research to improve the health of women and babies – and leave a legacy that will long outlast aching feet, sore muscles and throbbing heads..!

Climbing Kilimanjaro (or any mountain for that matter!) is no different from any other major challenges that we face in our lives. Whether we want to start a new career, have a healthier lifestyle or mend a broken relationship - we’re all climbing mountains of sorts. These experiences require us to be stronger than we think we are, endure more than we think we can, and become more than we dreamed possible.

Nearly £100,000 has been raised for the Wellbeing of Women through these PwC led Kilimanjaro climbs thanks to the hard work, dedication, determination, creativity and fortitude of some of the most amazing people that I’ve ever shared a mountain with. Once again it highlights why I love climbing - not only for the breathtaking views, the physical challenge, and the personal sense of achievement, but also for the inspiration gained and insights shared by the people you meet along the way

It's not too late to donate if you'd still like to show your support. All proceeds go to Wellbeing of Women and can be made via the link below:

https://mydonate.bt.com/teams/wowclimb2016

 Thank you to the amazing team – Andrea, Alexandra, Larice, Lucy, Maisie, Patrick, Saxon, Urszula, Victoria - and our amazing team of porters and guides - for the wonderful trip memories; your humour, honesty, commitment, and enthusiasm through thick and thin (air) will never be forgotten and I can't wait to share another mountain with you again soon.

Huge thanks also to our sponsors - Thalgo for their wonderful suncream and spa products; Meatsnacks for the delicious beef jerky and Sherpa Adventure Gear for the donation of prizes for our pub quiz fundraiser.

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Wellbeing of Women Kilimanjaro Climb - 'Sippy Sippy' & Summit Success..!

“What did you get up to over the weekend...?” 

I don’t always have the opportunity to provide such a satisfying response across the coffee machine at work on a Monday morning...

“Oh…well, I flew back from Tanzania after climbing Kilimanjaro with the most inspiring, fun and amazing colleagues ever… whilst raising an incredible amount of money for research into the health and wellbeing of women and babies…”

As I type the final members of our 14-strong team are making their way back to the UK. We left just over 8 days ago as colleagues, bound together by a common employer and a common ambition to reach the Roof of Africa. We return to sea-level bound by new friendships and memories that will last a lifetime – friendships built through shared laughs, fears, experiences, and a shared sense of team as we plodded our way to the 5,895m. 

As individuals we pushed ourselves to our personal limits, to the nth degree and beyond, putting one heavy altitude weighted foot in front of the other whilst being spurred on the journey by our collective sense of team and sights on the ultimate objective…

One thing that I have learned from this adventure is the importance of celebrating success in the progress toward a goal. The PwC Wellbeing of Women Kilimanjaro Climb the goals were to (1) reach and surpass our 25K target and (2) challenge ourselves our our journey to the summit of Kilimanjaro.

‘Fresh’ off the plane last Saturday evening, our PwC team sat down for our very first dinner together in our hotel in Arusha, Tanzania. Anticipation was running high. It was here that I realised just how much we’d achieved already – not only had we put together a strong, connected team with a common vision and common goals, we’d also actually made the preparations to say ‘Yes, let’s do this..!’  Shiny new kit had been purchased, flights had been taken via cities who’s names we could hardly pronounce, Tanzanian visas had been sorted, overflowing bags had arrived, hotels had been booked, new boots had been broken in… and nearly £30,000 had been raised for Wellbeing of Women through the hard work, creativity, passion and commitment of the team.

So much achieved, so much to celebrate - and we hadn’t even set foot on the mountain yet!

The trip continued to be jam-packed with successes. At the end of our first day on the trail we’d just reached camp and Jess exclaimed, ‘Woohooo!!’ and gave Aysegul the hugest high five. 

That night crammed into our mess-tent, bundled into our warm jackets and hugging hot cups of tea we raised a toast to the days achievements. Everyone was smiling. Everyone was laughing. The team had made tremendous progress already – Camp 1 reached – and it was only a matter of ‘onward and upward’ to reach the following day’s objective.

The days on the trail passed quickly, broken up through ‘sippy-sippy’ water drinking stops, eating stops, photo-stops, sunscreen application stops, and impromptu stops to accommodate frantic dancing to ‘Uptown Funk’ while gasping for breath… All the while conversations flowed, learning more about each other and the environments we were passing through.

I’ll never forget stopping on a walk with Martin and looking up at the sea of stars above - the Milky Way stretched out in all her glory before our very eyes. Hundreds of millions of stars reflecting endless possibilities, opportunities and questions. The moon shone so bright that we were able to walk without head torches. At one point our guide pulled us aside to show the Zebra rock – a giant natural rock formation etched into the side of a hill that looked like a zebra’s stripy belly. Crickets chirped and a gentle breeze whistled through the long African grasses. London seemed like a million miles away.

Onto the ‘main event’… When the team reached our ‘base camp’, 'Kibo Hut' at 4,750m (almost as high as the summit of Mont Blanc!) in the early afternoon before our ‘summit push’ the effects of altitude were starting to show. We walked across the saddle between Mawenzi peak and Kibo, with laborious breaths, our packs suddenly feeling heavier and every step harder than the last. This did little to dampen Team Spirit as we settled in for the afternoon and began mentally preparing for the challenge ahead. We would be leaving camp at 11.30pm for our ascent.

That night at around 11pm I awoke from a restless hypoxic slumber to hear Richard shout over the noise of the gusty-breeze hammering down our tents, ‘Don’t worry everyone! The winds’ bark is worse than its bite!’ No sooner had we all bundled into the mess tent with head-torches aglow nervously scoffing ginger-snap biscuits and hot tea then the wind started to die-down and our guide stuck his head around the corner. It was go-time.

The team performed absolutely brilliantly. Heads down, our Kilimanjaro conga-line snaked its way through the seemingly endless switchbacks and zig-zags over the volcanic scree. We stopped every hour for no more than 5 minutes to refuel and reassess our progress. It wasn’t until I looked up to see the familiar rocky final section that I realised that we’d reached the  first of the three summits – Gillmans Point (5685m) – in record time and in the dark..!

We then continued on with a further 3-hour round trip to the summit, Uhuru Peak - the highest point of all Africa. The route took us through a moonscape of volcanic rock and remnant glaciers with their impressive ice cliffs.

I can safely say that I’ve rarely seen such an incredible sunrise. The conditions were clear and there were panoramic views over the crater, to Mawenzi and Mount Meru looking very small below us. The view from the final summit was quite literally ‘breathtaking’. 

Despite our cold fingers, desperate gasps of rarefied air, throbbing heads, and rosy cheeks, we were laughing as the dawn broke over the summit crater in spectacular fashion and we celebrated our combined successes. A ‘journey’ that had started with an email saying ‘Yes! Sign me up!’ led to these happy (tired!) faces, new friendships and memories to last a lifetime. Additionally, we succeeded in our challenge to surpass our fundraising target, raising nearly £30,000 for Wellbeing of Women – money that will go toward improving the health of women and babies – and leave a legacy that will long outlast aching feet, sore muscles and throbbing heads..!

Climbing Kilimanjaro (or any mountain for that matter!) is no different from any other major challenges that we face in our lives. Whether we want to start a new career, have a healthier lifestyle or mend a broken relationship - we’re all climbing mountains of sorts. These experiences require us to be stronger than we think we are, endure more than we think we can, and become more than we dreamed possible.

Over £55,000 has been raised for the Wellbeing of Women thanks to the hard work, dedication, determination, creativity and fortitude of some of the most amazing people that I’ve ever shared a mountain with. Once again it highlights why I love climbing - not only for the breathtaking views, the physical challenge, and the personal sense of achievement, but also for the inspiration gained and insights shared by the people you meet along the way.

It's not too late to donate if you'd still like to show your support. All proceeds go to Wellbeing of Women and can be made via the link below:

https://mydonate.bt.com/events/wowclimb2015/187650

Thank you to the amazing team – Angus, Aysegul, Ele, Jaya, Jessica, Karolina, Martin, Matthew, Mette, Richard, Sophie, Victoria, Zeynep and our amazing team of porters and guides - for the wonderful trip memories; your humour, honesty, commitment, and enthusiasm through thick and thin (air) will never be forgotten and I can't wait to share another mountain with you again soon.

A massive Thank You to friends and family who supported the climb. We’re most grateful for the many ways that you have showed your support – donating to Wellbeing of Women, providing us with moral support, advice on kit, and getting involved in fundraising activities. We could not have achieved our goals without your tremendous and most generous support.

A tremendous Thank You to PwC and the firm’s Community Affairs Team who worked tirelessly over the past few months to make our climb such a success and who helped us to achieve our £25,000 fundraising target through support at Bake Sales, Pub Quizzes, and support with our internal campaign. Thank you for all of your encouraging words and your support. It's through the passion that you put into your work for Wellbeing of Women that we were driven to put one foot in front of the other.

Huge Thank Yous to Thalgo UK for the wonderful goodie-bag which kept us feeling fabulous throughout both the run-up to the expedition and on the expedition itself. We especially loved the SPF 50 sun-cream which kept us all protected and moisturised on the mountain. An added bonus was the leg mist which kept us refreshed...!

Thank you to The Jerky Group for nurturing a taste for beef jerky and biltong. Your very generous donation of beef jerky fed us and fuelled us up to the summit and provided a constant source of protein and snacking pleasure for all times of the day - breakfast, lunch and dinner along the trail and to the summit.

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The People You Meet Along The Way: The 2015 Wellbeing of Women Kilimanjaro Climb

I feel like it’s ‘Groundhog’ day, as I sit here in Arusha, Tanzania with an overpacked duffle bag, packing and unpacking and repacking, removing another round of ‘luxury items’ with each cycle… It feels like just yesterday that I was here with an intrepid team of friends, preparing for our 2014 'Music and Mountains' Kilimanjaro climb that would put all of us on the summit, raising 25,000 GBP / nearly $40,000 for Wellbeing of Women in the process. It had been a brilliant trip filled with memories and laughs that will last a lifetime. 

No less than 12 months later, I find myself back in Arusha, with another group of intrepid adventurers - men and women - preparing to embark on the 2nd annual Wellbeing of Women Kilimanjaro climb. A team which has spent the past few months raising money and awareness for the charity through pub quizzes, raffle tickets, tea parties, bake sales, pancake open houses, Bollywood nights, and a dedicated, committed amount of 'network tapping'. A team which started out as 'colleagues' but is now a team of 'friends'... and a team tremendously supported by floods of donations and messages offering encouragement, strength and words of wisdom for the journey ahead. 

On Wednesday, before our final fundraising event - a completely sold out pub quiz - we realised how close we were to hitting our 25,000 GBP target..! That evening, somewhere between learning what dessert was named after one of Napoleon's victories and the name of the Russian president in 1963 we sailed past our target... 

https://mydonate.bt.com/events/wowclimb2015/187650

AND the amazing news is that we're still sailing past that target...!! 

Please do consider making a donation if you haven't already. All monies go directly to the charity and will continue to fund research into improving the health of women and babies around the world through research into developing many women’s health services including cancer screening, IVF, pre-and post-natal care, ultrasound scans, stillbirth, foetal screening... . 

Sat here in Arusha, a short 4 days later, we are edging closer to reaching 30,000 GBP for Wellbeing of Women.  This is AMAZING and I am thrilled to be part of such an exceptional team. Tomorrow morning we'll be regrouping in the hotel lobby with our stuffed duffle bags and preparing for a 4-hour bus journey to the park entrance. We had dinner tonight and the general atmosphere was excitement, anticipation and a touch of 'Lets get this party started..."

One thing that we all have come to realise - particularly in our preparation for the climb and in working with the incredibly supportive team at Wellbeing of Women is that climbing Kilimanjaro, (or any mountain for that matter!) is no different from any other major challenges that we face in our lives. Whether that means making a career change, having a healthier lifestyle or mending a broken relationship - we're all climbing mountains of sorts. These experiences require us to be stronger than we think we are, endure more than we think we can, and become more than we dreamed possible.

I look forward to being part of the team and once again take Wellbeing of Women to the roof of Africa..!

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Please support the 2015 Wellbeing of Women Kilimanjaro Climb!

I was a little terror as a child. Between my brothers and I, we did our utmost to test my mothers patience. A farm in rural Canada proved to be the ultimate adventure playground and the setting for more than one instance where adventures went a bit too far… Personal highlights include getting stuck – waist deep – in the mud of a freshly ploughed field at the age of 6 (in my best Sunday clothes); filling our pool with a thick concoction of water, mud and grass clippings – playing in the soppy mixture all afternoon and then tracking it (literally) throughout the house; countless mud-ball fights (strategically laced with rocks and nails) with my brothers; and the piece de resistance, smashing all of the windows out of our barn along with the windows of my Dad’s antique car, an old Beaumont, in an effort to recreate the closing scenes of the Michael Jackson ‘Black or White’ video… 

Somehow my brothers and I managed to survive life on the farm… More remarkably, my Mom managed to maintain a sense of humour and a smile throughout (between the occasional moments of discipline). Despite the many occasions that we tested her patience, she continued to fill our lunch boxes each morning, ensure that we were properly dressed, make dinner each evening, drove me to ballet, piano, soccer, volleyball etc, ensure that we took our vitamins, brushed our teeth, and got to bed on time. She did this rain or shine even when she may have been battling the colds and flus we took home from school.

Coming full circle...

I’m now around the same age that my Mom was when she did all these things for my brothers, sister and I.  Life feels a bit like it’s come full circle. It’s only now that I have a full appreciation of how lucky I am to have such an amazing Mom . I also have an appreciation of just how much strength and effort it must have taken to raise all of us and hold the family together. Finally, and perhaps fundamentally, how lucky I am to have both directly and indirectly benefitted from the research funded by health charities such as Wellbeing of Women. 

Wellbeing of Women is a charity dedicated to improving the health of women, mothers and babies through research, training and education. Through the research funded by Wellbeing of Women, our whole family benefitted. Since it was founded 50 years ago, Wellbeing of Women has, through the generous support from its donors, invested in research projects and allocated funds towards the training of doctors and midwives.

The charity conducts research to address statistics such as these:

• 1 in 2 women in the UK will suffer from some kind of reproductive or gynecological health problem
• 17 babies a day die in the UK at or near birth (they are either stillborn or die shortly after birth)
• 145 women a week in the UK die of a gynecological cancer (ovarian cancer, womb cancer)
• 2 million women suffer the pain of endometriosis
• 1 in 5 pregnancies end in miscarriage

Wellbeing of Women encourages women – mothers, sisters, daughters, grandmothers, friends, colleagues - to take more interest in their own health and ensure that they have the appropriate access to education and care to do so. I’m tremendously inspired by the achievements and progress that has already been made to date. Some success stories can be found here: http://www.wellbeingofwomen.org.uk/research/success-stories/?menu=11c

Wellbeing of Women has also made me appreciate my mother, my sister and gorgeous nieces and nephews even more and the care that they have received since the day their imminent arrival into the family was announced. They truly are a miracle of life and I feel so tremendously blessed to be able to enjoy them and watch them grow up… even though, at times, they test my patience just as we did my mothers!

The Wellbeing of Women Kilimanjaro Climb...

Besides being the ultimate adventure playground, growing up on a farm also instilled in me a passion for the outdoors. It proved to be the setting that allowed me to push my creative and physical limits which ultimately led me to climb on some of the highest mountains in the world. From rural roots to Himalayan heights. 

Last year, supported by my employer, PwC, I decided to leverage my passion for adventure and share it with others to benefit the research supported by Wellbeing of Women. Together with an intrepid team of 8 other women we climbed to the 5,895 meters (19,341 feet) summit of Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, and raised over 25,000 GBP /  $35,000 for Wellbeing of Women. Our collective efforts helped to support by supporting two Wellbeing of Women funded researchers to investigating a new treatment for womb cancer and developing new treatments for premature birth.

Building on the success of last years climb, I decided with the support of PwC, to organise a second Kilimanjaro climb which is now scheduled to take place from 21 Feb – 1 March, 2015. This year we have an intrepid team of 14 climbers who will venture to Tanzania to undertake the challenge on behalf of Wellbeing of Women. 

Heading to altitude is never an easy or comfortable experience and the opportunity to lead an even bigger team this year whilst managing expectations ‘back at the ranch’ is going to be an equal challenge of leadership. It will put to the test the skills I’ve learned from past expeditions – discipline, commitment, courage and creativity. 

Having said that, I can’t think of a more inspiring team. Made up entirely of PwC colleagues from different backgrounds, business units, and ages it will be a tremendous adventure. I look forward to the opportunity to learn and work as a team to collectively surpass our fundraising target and reach the roof of Africa. Our efforts will ensure that research will continue into fertility, miscarriage, gynaecological cancers, pregnancy complications and menopause.

Doing so will ensure that we can continue to benefit from the love and care, that we have with the women and babies in our lives.

Please consider the women, mothers and babies in your life...

To ensure that this research can continue, I ask that you please consider making a donation to Wellbeing of Women. Your donation, however big or small, will ensure that we can continue to transform the lives of every woman and baby in the UK and many more worldwide. 

Please show your support by making a donation directly via our page below. All funds will be matched by PwC.

My fundraising page: https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/heathergeluk

Our team page: https://mydonate.bt.com/teams/wowclimbteam2015

On behalf of the Wellbeing of Women Kilimanjaro Climb Team, a huge thank you for your support… and for considering of the women in your life!

We had t-shirts to ensure that Mom could keep our names straight

My sister Melanie, Mom and I

Despite the fact we were crazy as children I'd like to think we turned out ok!

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