Emma Skinner, Partner at Old Town based accountancy firm Haines Watts Swindon, has successfully climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, to raise funds for Wiltshire Air Ambulance.Having always wanted to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, Emma, who lives in Swindon, reached the summit in the early hours of October 10th following a grueling six-day trek and to date she’s raised over £4,000.
The trek started at the Lemosho Gate, hiking through rainforests surrounded by wildlife, across desert and rocky ground and moorland to reach the Shira Camp where some of the group started to experience signs of altitude sickness, which can be a very serious condition determining whether guides allow hikers to continue or not.
After a singing performance from the support team in Shira, Emma pushed through and continued to hike over 18,000 metres over the following four days. The weather reached lows of –15 degrees centigrade, the terrain was tough going and the altitude sickness got worse.
After hiking through the night, Emma reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in time to see the sun rise on the Africa horizon.
Reflecting on her journey, Emma said: “Climbing Kilimanjaro has been a tough and humbling experience. I feel extremely privileged to have been welcomed into such a wonderful community in Tanzania. I have been challenged mentally and physically and I experienced so many emotions during the trek – overwhelmingly, I am proud of the achievement.
“I am incredibly grateful for all of the support I have received – I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone that has donated so generously.”
The operational costs of Wiltshire Air Ambulance are upwards of £12,000 per day, covering the expenses of their helicopter, critical care cars, crew, supplies, and ongoing maintenance. It is through the support of local businesses and fundraising, such as Emma has done, that these costs are met – there is no funding from the government or grants.
Wiltshire Air Ambulance fundraising manager Fraser Normington said: “We are always taken aback by the lengths some people will go to raise funds for their local air ambulance charity and Emma’s challenge is certainly one of the hardest around.
“Everyone at the charity would like to congratulate Emma on successfully scaling Mount Kilimanjaro and we cannot thank her enough for undertaking the challenge to support Wiltshire Air Ambulance’s lifesaving service, with the backing of the team at Haines Watts.”
Emma’s fundraising link will stay open until 25th October: https://www.givengain.com/ap/emma-skinner-raising-funds-for-wiltshire-air-ambulance/#timeline
Nationally, Haines Watts is a top 15 firm of Chartered Accountants who specialise in advising and supporting business owners, individuals and not-for-profit organisations. The firm has been at the centre of the Swindon and Wiltshire business communities for more than 25 years. For more information visit https://www.hwca.com/accountants-swindon/
To find out more about Wiltshire Air Ambulance visit https://www.wiltshireairambulance.co.uk/
Article from Scott Media
