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• Kilimanjaro Climb

 Four friends conquer Kilimanjaro

In February 2010 friends Charlie Crook, Phil Sutcliffe, Bobby Greasley and Jonathan Wood set about climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. In this 60 second interview we ask them about their experience...

How did you first decide to take on the challenge and why did you choose to support Orchid?
Like many we watched in awe the inspirational efforts of Cheryl Cole’s backside wiggling up Kilimanjaro for Sport Relief. Then one night we were talking about Cheryl (as you do) and we decided we could do it with more style. The reason we chose Orchid was because we are all male and wanted to make a difference to a smaller charity rather than the obvious choices. 

In total you raised over £13,000 for Orchid which is a phenomenal achievement. How did you do this and what were your top fundraising ideas?
We treated it like a military operation as we knew it was a big ask seeking funds with the same friendship group. We educated ourselves on Orchid and the challenge so people could see how serious we were. We then held numerous events around our local area using family and friends for support. Parties were a great money spinning idea. Also, raffles, quiz nights, music events, and treasure hunts – always events where people would pay but be guaranteed something in return!

What impact has your support for Orchid had on yourselves or any of your friends and family?
Well as individuals we were all completely shattered after walking the mountain! For weeks after we stood a foot taller telling the story of our journey to all who would listen and we remain massively proud of the fact we completed the challenge and hope that others will benefit as a result.

What was the most challenging part of the whole experience?
It has to be the final day where we had 4 hours sleep before our 8 hour ascent leaving base camp in the pitch black just before midnight. We all like our beauty sleep, mainly because we need it! The memories of the top will stick with us all forever, but admittedly the thought of walking back down for another 8 hours was a killer! We fought off altitude problems and temperatures of -18 degrees - how we longed for a good cup of coffee, a takeaway, and a bath at the end of the day!

Were there any lighter moments climbing Kilimanjaro and if so can you share them with us?
One memory that sticks out was when one day we returned to camp and the African tour guides sang us a welcome song. They danced with us as well so we thought we would teach them our disco dance from uni days. It was from the song “Hey Baby”. The Africans loved it and this dance became a theme for the rest of our trip. We also had a fantastic team around us, we laughed every day which kept us going during the long hours walking. We spent our time singing with the tour guides, telling jokes, celebrating birthdays in camp, and then dancing the night away on our final evening in Tanzania where a few beers were consumed to celebrate our achievement.

What would your top tips be to anyone wanting to do a similar challenge for Orchid?
If you have strong mental strength then do it! At least then you can say you have!

And finally would you do it again?
Never! Something as big as Kilimanjaro would be another massive challenge, however we all crave that feeling of adrenalin and achievement which made the experience the best of our lives! The fact that we have been able to support a fantastic charity is amazing, we hope others will benefit in the long term and wish Orchid all the best for the future.