Ambrose Netherton wasn’t aware of the organisation or the work it does, but now he’s packing his kit bag with the aim of raising thousands of pounds for it.
“One of my friends mentioned it because she’s wanted to do it (climb Kilimanjaro) for years, and we were out when she mentioned it in a passing comment, and I was like, ‘yeah, that sounds pretty cool’.
“She asked if I’d be interested, in a non-serious way and I said ‘yeah, I’d probably do it’.
“Then it must have been around October when she phoned me, ‘I’m booking Kilimanjaro, do you want me to book for you as well?’ and I was a bit like ‘Christ, I forgot about that. Yeah, go for it’.
“So, yes it went from almost a passing comment to next minute we’re booking it.”
Through mutual connections, Ambrose met Justine Gilman who is Chair of the Guernsey Kidney Patients Association, and from there it was agreed that the Kilimanjaro climb will benefit the local patients supported by the charity.
“We’d really like to get a corporate sponsor, because it’s going to cost about £5,200 for the trip, equipment, the flights, so we would be really appreciative if we can get a few corporates involved and then have their logos on the equipment, because if that’s then covered, the smaller individual donations all go directly to the charity,” said Justine.
“Ambrose has said he is happy to pay the full costs of his trip so that any donations received are purely for the charity, but we’d like to help Ambrose out so to get some corporate sponsors would just be amazing.”
Justine is hoping that this fundraiser will help raise awareness of the work the Guernsey Kidney Patients Association does.
“That’s exactly why I picked it, because when I was speaking to them I said ‘I’ve never even heard of it or seen a post or anything’, so I thought by doing it for the charity it might get some publicity and help people hear about the charity and make it a bit more well known,” said Ambrose.
“I do think it’s worked because a lot of people that I’ve spoken to about the charity had never really heard of it before so it’s definitely getting the name out there for sure on social media and stuff with the GoFundMe Page.”
With the trip booked for August, Ambrose and the two people he is travelling with from Guernsey, are getting stuck into their training.
He says the main thing they are focusing on is general fitness and stamina, with lots of long walks planned.
“What I’ve read is the altitude is the hardest thing to adjust to, so in my head, as long as I’m as fit as I can be I’m hoping it’s not going to affect me too much, but over here, you’re quite limited to what you can do. So, I’m just trying to keep fit. I run and do the gym.
“I enjoy running a lot. I’ve done a couple of ultra marathons and stuff and then I ran the Saffery walk last year as a bit of a challenge. I like to always have something to aim to train for, to keep me going.”
Pictured: A group of hikers trekking up Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
“When you climb Kilimanjaro, everyone says it’s very slow, so you don’t really need to train to be running up it. It’s very much a slow plod on the way up. I think it’s almost so you don’t go too quick and give yourself attitude sickness.”
The entire climb will take around seven days with four days scheduled for the ascent and three for the descent. That might change depending on the weather, with Ambrose hoping they’ll see a stunning sunrise when they reach the top.
“You climb to the summit starting at midnight and then you arrive at the summit for sunrise, which is quite cool. They try to plan that around the weather, so I think they play it by ear when we get there but it should be about seven days.
“To be fair, when I’ve been researching, a lot of people say it’s an amazing experience, but it is tough. And it is kind of, once you’ve done it, you’ve done it.”
You can sponsor Ambrose Netherton HERE with all funds going to the Guernsey Kidney Patients Association.
Businesses are encouraged to wear green for National Kidney Day on Thursday 7 March with donations to the charity via the above link.