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Curchods Help Raise £91,000 For Giving Africa By Climbing Mt Kilimanjaro

We are pleased to announce the success of our three staff members selected to climb Mt Kilimanjaro last week in aid of raising money for the Giving Africa charity.   By all accounts it was an unforgettable trip for all three of them - after months of preparation, fundraising and training, Jeremy St-John (Walton Branch), Alison Treasure (Guildford Branch) and Graeme Wadhams (Marketing Dept) climbed Mt Kilimanjaro.  We are extremely proud of all three of them who all exceeded their personal fundraising targets to help Giving Africa raise over £91,000!  This money will go towards building the charity's first school in Burkina Faso, Africa.

The Trip:

The weather seemed to be against our climbers last week, our team battled against wind, severe rain and snow for 5 days climbing the mountain.  The local guide "Mgana" was quoted as saying of the 170 trips up the mountain he had done, this was the 3rd worst weather he had ever encountered - making this even more of an achievement.  On Wednesday 12th October our staff summited the 5,896m peak - all of three expressed what immense team spirit there had been on the trip and how proud they were to be able to do such a fantastic thing for a cause as deserving as GivingAfrica.

Here is what Graeme had to say about the trip upon his return:

"24 strangers signed up to raise money for GivingAfrica, who in the end achieved their collective goal and raised well over the minimum required for the trip, which is fantastic in itself, but this pales in comparison to the friendship, positivity and camaraderie experienced by every single member of the team whilst on the mountain.  United around the common goal of GivingAfrica, this very special week has created a team of lifelong friends who honestly now believe they can conquer anything life throws at them with the right team around them.  The profound revelations of just how powerful teamwork can be and the strength of the human spirit demonstrated by our porters and guides on the trip, will stay with each and every member of the Climb Kili 2011 team forever."

Giving Africa are now recruiting for another 24 people to climb Mt Kilimanjaro in 2012:

Why should you climb Kili for Giving Africa?  Our staff wouldn’t trade this week for anything in the world – if you’re considering it, don't hesitate to sign up, it will be one of the most rewarding and exhilarating weeks of your life.

See all the photos on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/curchods

Sign up for the 2012 Kilimanjaro trip by visiting GivingAfrica.org

Find Out More

How You Can Help

We are still collecting money for the charity through our JustGiving web page.  Alternatively if you would like to play a more active role raising funds, contact GivingAfrica direct through their website.

www.justgiving.com/curchods-kilimanjaro

100% of donations will be paid to Giving Africa, a registered charity number 1136275