Last night we gathered at Durnovaria in Dorchester to officially wave goodbye to our Kilimanjaro charity climbers before they leave for Tanzania on Friday. It was emotional and exciting as all 13 climbers posed together for a group photo with Stella Jones, the Mayor of Dorchester.
Dorchester Town Crier Alistair Chisholm cited some verses written specially for the occasion, which went down very well. Following this Mayor Stella Jones said a few words of support and our very own chairman Ben King gave a moving speech to recognise the huge difference the climbers are making to the lives of those struggling in our local area.
Amongst those in attendance was Kalli Wright, a 2 year-old girl suffering from Wilms Tumours on her kidneys (pictured above with mum Jodie Critchell and climber Ben Wain). The Steve Charles Help A Friend Fund has been helping to fund trips to Southampton for chemotherapy as well as travel and accommodation expenses for two major operations at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Also mentioned as a recipient of charity support during the event was 14 year-old Rian Harvey, a student from Thomas Hardy School currently receiving treatment for acute Myeloid Leukemia. Unfortunately he was unable to attend as he was staying in Southampton General Hospital at the time.
We would like to thank the staff of Durnovaria for hosting the event and providing nibbles and drinks. They are great supporters of the charity and will be keeping you all updated on where our climbers are on the mountain by writing on their wall - no not their Facebook wall, their real wall!
Our 13 climbers are scaling Kilimanjaro not just to raise awareness but to collect funds for The Steve Charles Help A Friend Fund. Please support them and us by donating on our JustGiving page: http://www.justgiving.com/schaff.
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